


Shoobute (勝負手)

by cleflink



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: APTX 4869 Temporary Antidote, All The Tropes, Black Organization (Meitantei Conan), Did I mention all the tropes?, Fake/Pretend Relationship, I Tried, Id Fic, KaiShin Secret Santa 2020, Kaito in a Dress, M/M, Secret Identity, Undercover Missions, Undercover as a Couple, does this count as Slow Burn?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28184541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleflink/pseuds/cleflink
Summary: "I need you to go with me to the fundraiser..."just say it"...as my date."KID's expression twitched, smoothing over too fast for Shinichi to get a proper read on his emotions. "I'd be flattered, Tantei-kun, but I think you're a little young for me."Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Not with this me, idiot."
Relationships: Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan/Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid
Comments: 46
Kudos: 463
Collections: dcmkkaishinevents kaishin secret santa 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mindless_Fics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mindless_Fics/gifts).



> This fic was written for Rainn (Lemon_World) in the 2020 KaiShin Secret Santa exchange on tumblr! It also got a lot away from me, because I make poor life choices.
> 
> I had a lot of fun with the undercover part of your prompt, Rainn, and I hope you like cracky cliches, because there are, uh, a few in here. This is not in any way intended to be a love triangle, but I also can't write Conan-era KaiShin without some acknowledgement of Ran's importance to Shinichi's life, so I hope this story stays on the right side of your preferences. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Shoobute (勝負手): an interesting move in a disadvantageous position on which one wagers the outcome of a game of shogi

Shinichi still couldn't believe he was doing this.

The cafe was bustling without being crowded, and Shinichi struggled to pretend that he didn't stick out like a sore thumb, sitting by himself in a booth with wide seats that made his childish body look even smaller than it was. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the elderly woman at the table next to him glance over for the third time in as many minutes, disapproving concern creasing her face. He estimated that he had perhaps another two minutes before she overcame her sense of propriety and got up to ask him what a boy his age was doing in a café all by himself. 

She wasn't the only one shooting looks over at his table either, which Shinichi should probably have expected. He'd chosen this particular cafe because it was just barely within Beika prefecture and there wasn't likely to be anyone here who recognized him, but that came with its own challenges. Namely, that there was no one to run interference when well-meaning strangers worried about his safety. 

Shinichi silently cursed the person he was supposed to be meeting.

Was it really so hard to show up on time? Usually, he was punctual to a fault.

 _Maybe he isn't coming_ , a quiet voice in Shinichi's head murmured. The thought prompted an uncomfortable mix of disappointment and relief. Disappointment because Shinichi honestly wasn't confident in his ability to get out of this alive if he had to go solo. Relief because, if he didn't come, then Shinichi didn't have to go through with his decision to-

"Shinji!" an unfamiliar voice exclaimed from nearly on top of him. 

Shinichi looked up.

The man standing before him was a total stranger. He was middle aged and slim, and wore a tidy but slightly threadbare sweater over a collared shirt and beige slacks. His dark hair was parted with almost military precision, but his face was kind and patient. A pair of comically oversized glasses were perched on his nose, lending him the air of an absent-minded school teacher. His eyes were a distracting shade of blue.

If he hadn't already known the truth, Shinichi would have been hard pressed to recognize this mild-mannered figure as the infamous international jewel thief and his sometimes ally, Kaitou KID. As it was, he was mostly just annoyed that KID had chosen now, of all times, to be late.

"Sorry for making you wait alone for so long, Shinji," KID said, as he slid into the booth across from him without waiting for an invitation. "I wouldn't have sent you on ahead if I'd realized it would take so long to find a place to park."

Dark hair, blue eyes and glasses. Sent you on ahead. An expression that was almost equal parts gentle affection and harried fatigue: a combination distinctly unique to parents. With all the clues KID had given him - and, oh, Shinichi was going to get him back for those glasses - there was only one possible answer Shinichi could give to that.

"It's okay, tou-san!" he chirped, in Conan's most obnoxiously chipper voice. "I was having fun watching all the people!"

KID smiled with warm, fatherly fondness, and Shinichi could practically feel the cafe taking a collective breath of relief as people returned their attention to their own business. 

Shinichi watched the subtle flick of KID's eyes as he took in the café. Shinichi had picked a table off to the side, away from the higher traffic areas around the door and the restrooms. From KID's seat, he had a clear view of anyone approaching their table. The gentle swell of ambient noise in the room was far from overwhelming, but still more than loud enough to drown out one quiet conversation. They wouldn't be overheard.

"Good choice," KID said, in the somewhat patronizing tone of a parent complimenting a child's crayon scribbles.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "You can stop pretending to be my dad, now."

KID chuckled, something indefinable shifting in his body language to turn this stranger into someone Shinichi actually recognized, unfamiliar face or no. "What, you don't like this disguise? I'm kind of pleased with it."

"That's because you're easily entertained. The glasses aren't funny, by the way."

"Lies. So," KID said then. Despite his mild-mannered exterior, his eyes were sharp and assessing. "To what do I owe the pleasure? It isn't like you to request a meeting."

Shinichi took a deep breath. "I need your help."

KID arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Now that _is_ unexpected. Normally, you drag me headfirst into your problems by claiming I owe you one. Why are you being so polite this time?" 

Shinichi hesitated. "This isn't the sort of request that can be traded for a favour," he said, choosing his words carefully. "It's too important." 

"Hmm. Considering that you've nearly got me blown up for a favour before, I'm almost afraid to find out what you think is a bigger ask." 

"It's not-" 

A server appeared before he could finish, her customer service smile softening at the picture of domesticity they apparently presented. "Welcome," she said. "Can I get you anything?"

"Ah, yes." KID fumbled with the menu in a display of clumsiness that was clearly part of his adopted persona. "A coffee and a hot chocolate, please." He darted a grin across the table at Shinichi. "How about we share a slice of pie too?"

"Yay!" Shinichi made sure that he had an appropriate amount of childish enthusiasm scrawled across his face for when the server turned to look at him, wishing all the while that his legs weren't too short to kick KID under the table. 

"I'll have that out to you right away," the server promised, taking her leave.

"You were saying?" KID asked, once she was out of earshot.

"There's a fundraising dinner at the Haido City Hotel this Saturday," Shinichi started, because this was the easy part. "One of the attending guests has some information that I need."

"And you want me to steal this information?"

"Not exactly." Shinichi shook his head. "It's more that I need to trace him back to his base of operations. Preferably by planting a tracking device on him, but I'll tail him if I have to."

"How sneaky of you. Should I assume that you've got yourself involved in something dangerous again?"

Shinichi shrugged with a nonchalance he didn't feel. "Depends on your definition of 'again'."

KID's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "The people from the train," he deduced, and nodded when Shinichi didn't deny it. "They seem like a dangerous group to tangle with."

"I know how to handle them."

KID stared at him for a long moment, his expression unfathomable, then shook his head. "Then I'm a little stumped. None of this sounds like anything you really need my help for, especially not so much that you'd be willing to _ask_ for it. What's the catch, Tantei-kun?"

Shinichi hesitated, biting his lip. 

This was it. Was he really going to do this? 

KID's brow furrowed. "Tantei-kun?" 

The server chose that moment to return with two steaming mugs and a slice of pie balanced on her tray. 

"Thank you for waiting," she said, smiling as she placed the coffee at KID's elbow and the hot chocolate in front of Shinichi. The pie and a pair of forks ended up in a nebulous no-man's land in the middle of the table. "Enjoy."

KID thanked her, and Shinichi managed a half-hearted smile of his own. Once she was gone, he glared down at the mug in front of him.

"Something wrong?" KID asked, in that teasing lilt of his that always made Shinichi want to kick a soccer ball at his face. 

Shinichi turned his glare on KID instead. "I don't like hot chocolate."

KID winked at him. "I know." Before Shinichi could react, KID had switched their mugs and taken a large swallow of the hot chocolate. It had all been done so deftly that, were it not for the swirl of whipped cream now gracing KID's upper lip, Shinichi would barely have noticed the swap. "No need to glare at me so, Tantei-kun. After all, it's hardly my fault if the waitress mixed up our orders. You know I like it best when we both win."

It was stupid, just another of KID's silly tricks. And yet, somehow, it was exactly what Shinichi had needed: a reminder that this was KID he was dealing with. Flamboyant, clever, infuriating, noble KID, who joked around about everything, but didn't like to see people get hurt and had put himself in danger on multiple occasions to protect Shinichi and the people he cared about. 

Shinichi wouldn't trust KID with the contents of a safe, or not to make a joke at the least appropriate time, but with the truth? 

He thought he could trust KID with that. 

"You know, Tantei-kun," KID was saying, with an idleness that Shinichi didn't believe for a second. "If this was all just an elaborate way of socializing with me in our off time, you can admit it. I promise I won't tease you too much."

He could do this. Shinichi took a deep breath. "I need you to go with me to the fundraiser..." _just say it_ "...as my date."

KID's expression twitched, smoothing over too fast for Shinichi to get a proper read on his emotions. "I'd be flattered, Tantei-kun, but I think you're a little young for me."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Not with this me, idiot."

That made KID's eyes widen with what Shinichi suspected was genuine shock. "With your cousin, you mean?" At Shinichi's brusque nod, KID said, in a careful sort of voice, "I wasn't aware that was an option."

Shinichi gripped his coffee mug tightly to keep his fingers from trembling. "And that's why I'm asking for your help instead of calling in a favour."

"Huh." Kid sat back in the booth, sipping almost absently at his hot chocolate. 

Silence fell across the table. Shinichi's leg started to jiggle, and he forced it to still. 

"Why would you tell me this, Tantei-kun?" KID demanded abruptly, the words spilling out of him like they were too forceful to hold back. "If _that guy's_ able to be there, then there's no reason why you'd need me!"

"I can't go to a gala dinner alone without being suspicious," Shinichi said automatically.

"So you just need a date?" KID huffed and waved a dismissive hand. "Take your lovely Mouri-san then."

The words hit like a punch in the gut.

"I... don't want to give her the wrong impression," Shinichi managed after a moment. His words were stilted and awkward, and he hated that KID would notice. "And I don't want her to get involved with Them. It's too dangerous."

"So you need someone who knows what they're getting into," KID finished, a question disguised as a statement of fact. "In that case, why not ask Tantei-han to go with you?"

The look on Shinichi's face must have been a picture, judging by the flash of a smirk that shone through KID's disguise in response. "No good?"

It was hard to know where to start, honestly. "Hattori is useless at undercover work. He's too straightforward."

"Ah," KID said, in a rolling sort of purr that made Shinichi immediately wary. "So you need someone a little more... flexible, is that it?"

Shinichi was not going to turn red. He was not. "Stop that. Are you going to help me or not?"

"I don't know." Try as he might, Shinichi couldn't read anything in KID's expression. "Why should I?"

"Because I need your help." The word wanted to stick in Shinichi's throat, too open, too vulnerable for their usual interactions, but he forced them out. He'd already put himself at KID's mercy just by introducing the idea - he had nothing more to lose by laying the rest of his cards on the table. "If the organization finds out that Kudou Shinichi is alive, they'll kill him. I can disguise myself well enough, but we both know that your skills of infiltration would be invaluable on this mission and I..." His voice faltered. "I..."

KID's eyes glittered like tanzanite. "And you what, Tantei-kun?"

"I don't want to do this alone," Shinichi admitted. He smiled bitterly. "That's how I got myself into this mess in the first place. If being Conan has taught me anything, it's that sometimes I need to rely on others. And you're the best person for this job. Besides, I... trust you not to use this against me."

"Is that wise?" was KID's response. "You don't know anything about me."

Shinichi just looked at him. "Don't I?"

 _That_ shut KID up in a hurry. 

Because they both knew that Shinichi had more than enough information to make life very difficult for KID's alter ego, if he chose to look for him outside of a heist. But even more than that, there was no way for them to have worked so closely - both as opponents and as allies - without having learned considerably more important things about each other than their real names. Shinichi didn't presume to think he truly understood KID, but neither did he think it was arrogant to say that he understood him better than most.

It was KID's turn to look away.

"This information must be pretty important, if you're willing to share secrets for it." It wasn't a question, so Shinichi didn't bother replying. "Is your source reliable?"

Shinichi thought of the way the colour had drained from Haibara's face when she'd seen the photograph that Jodie-sensei had 'accidentally' left for Shinichi to find. 

"Very," he said. Belatedly, he took a sip of coffee and was pleased to find it more than palatable. He'd have to come here again. 

KID nodded. "Right then," he said, as Shinichi raised his mug again. "I'm in." 

Shinichi promptly choked on his next mouthful. Sometimes, he sincerely hated how good KID was at catching him off guard. 

"Just like that?" he wheezed. 

KID smirked at him. "Would you like me to be a pain in the ass about it? Because I can do that."

"I'll pass. You're more than enough of a pain already. I'm just surprised that you agreed so quickly." 

KID shrugged, stretching one arm out towards the lonely piece of pie. "I do strive to be surprising. Are you planning on impersonating someone who's actually supposed to be there?"

Shinichi shook his head. "It's not really necessary. The fundraiser's open to anyone who can afford tickets, so I'll just spend too much money in the silent auction and no one should look at us twice."

"As a thief, I almost resent that idea on principle. What's this fundraiser for again?"

They both knew Shinichi hadn't told him yet. "Cancer research." 

He watched KID absorb that as he used his fork to separate a tidy wedge from the rest of the pie. He popped it into his mouth and Shinichi watched as pleasure flicked briefly across his face at the flavour. "So this guest you're after - they have medical knowledge you need?"

"Not exactly." Reaching into his book bag, Shinichi pulled out the brief profile Haibara had managed to put together for him. "Nomura Hideki's a scientific researcher for a certain organization." He met KID's eyes across the table. "You met some of their operatives on the Bell Tree Express."

"Charming." KID took only the most cursory glance at the paper before vanishing it, but Shinichi knew he was already putting the pieces together, combining 'medical science' with 'information Shinichi needed' and coming to a conclusion that was, if not totally accurate, was likely a lot closer than most ever came to the truth of the apotoxin. 

That thought should probably have bothered him more than it did.

KID was chewing thoughtfully around another mouthful, a faraway look in his eyes. 

Shinichi arched an eyebrow. "Why do you look like you're plotting something?"

"Because I'm always plotting something, Tantei-kun, please keep up." He nodded. "Himiko-chan, I think."

"Your disguise?" Shinichi intuited, and got a cheeky 'pin pon!' in response. "A bit of a switch from your usual naming conventions."

KID flashed him a grin. "You'll like her," he said, deliberately avoiding the comment. "Do you have a name you want to use, or can I keep calling you Shinji?"

Shinichi shrugged. "It's as good a name as any. As long as no one recognizes Kudou Shinichi, it doesn't much matter to me."

"Seriously, though," KID said, his already lowered voice falling even further. "How is this even going to work? I thought you were..." a vague gesture with the fork in his hand. "...stuck like this."

Shinichi glared at him.

"I'm not trying to pry," KID promised, raising his hands in defense. "I won't deny that I'm curious, because we both know that'd be a lie, but I just want to hear that you're sure that big you will be available on Saturday. Because I'm talented, but even I can't be two people at once."

Shinichi deflated with a sigh. "I'm sure," he said. "I'll get the job done."

" _We'll_ get the job done," KID corrected, digging into the pie again with the enthusiasm of an actual child. "With the two of us working together, what could go wrong?"

It was, Shinichi figured, either going to be a resounding success or a total disaster. That was how things usually worked when when Kaitou KID got involved.

\---

Saturday arrived quickly.

Shinichi headed over to the professor's in the early afternoon to get the temporary antidote from Haibara and change into the disguise he'd prepared. He'd already got permission from Ran to sleep over, which would give him plenty of time to wait for the antidote to wear off before returning to the detective agency tomorrow morning. 

The process of turning back into himself was as bone-meltingly painful as ever, and Shinichi tried not to get his hopes up too much at the thought of what Haibara might be able to accomplish if he managed to trace Nomura back to the Black Org's current research facility. He'd had too many plans fall through in the past to want to get ahead of himself again. 

While he was shuddering through the aftereffects of the antidote, though, it was hard to avoid dreaming of the day when he could turn back into himself and _stay_ that way.

Haibara came down to the lab while he was putting the final touches on his disguise.

"I'm actually somewhat surprised that you're going through with this," she commented, while Shinichi fiddled with his tie. 

"I don't see why," he said distractedly. His fingers were refusing to cooperate, still twitchy and sensitive from his forced regrowth, so his tie was taking more of his attention than he really appreciated. "This is one of the best chances we've ever had for getting the research data on the apotoxin. Why wouldn't I go for it?"

"Oh," Haibara said coolly. "Mostly the fact that you've decided to trust a notorious jewel thief, not only to help you get the data, but also with the secret of the apotoxin."

"Oi, oi!" Shinichi glared at her, betrayed. "Asking KID for help was your idea, Haibara! And I didn't tell him about the apotoxin!"

"All I did was add his name to the incredibly short list of possible options, because you were too conflicted to suggest it yourself. And we both know that you've given that thief more than enough information to ruin us, even if you didn't mention the apotoxin by name."

Giving up on his tie, Shinichi turned to meet Haibara's gaze head on. "You told me you were okay with telling him."

Haibara shrugged. "I'm willing to trust your judgement. Doesn't mean that it isn't risky."

"If you don't want me to do this..."

Haibara rolled her eyes. "Since when do you second guess any action you take? It's too late for second-guessing anyway. He already knows."

Shinichi was silent for a moment. "Do you think I'm a fool to trust Kaitou KID?" he asked.

"I think you were a fool to trust me," she answered bluntly. "And yet here we are. As far as the Moonlight Magician is concerned, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"He can be a valuable ally," Shinichi said, more defensive than he'd really intended to be. 

"That doesn't mean he won't deliberately use your secrets against you."

"Maybe not," Shinichi admitted slowly. "But I don't think he will."

Haibara sighed. "I suppose I should have expected something like this would happen."

Shinichi cocked an eyebrow at her. "Something like what?"

"It's hardly a surprise," she said, ignoring him entirely. "You never could resist a mystery. And you've always been particular about that thief."

"What does that mean?" 

"You should get a move on," Haibara said instead of answering. Why was Shinichi constantly surrounded by infuriating people? "Don't want to keep your knight in shining top hat waiting."

"Ha ha," Shinichi deadpanned, but turned his attention back to getting his clothes in order. "Can you grab those glasses for me?"

"Aren't these Subaru-san's?" Haibara asked, looking at the delicate frames.

"I borrowed an extra pair from him. And no, he doesn't know what I need them for." Finally satisfied with his tie, Shinichi accepted the glasses from Haibara and slid them on. A quick press against the voice-changing choker he was wearing gave him a new voice to finish his disguise. "How's that?"

"I'm going to be very put out with you if you die," Haibara said instead of answering. "Do you have a name to go with this getup?"

"Hikari Shinji," Shinichi answered, and Haibara's mouth creased.

"KID's idea, I assume."

Shinichi nodded, thinking of the moment the day before when he'd gone to unroll his futon before bed and found surprisingly comprehensive profiles for Hikari Shinji and Fujita Himiko hidden inside. The sheer audacity of the move had him smirking ruefully even now.

Haibara shook her head. "I definitely should have seen this coming. Don't get yourself killed tonight, Kudou-kun."

"I won't," Shinichi promised.

"I'll hold you to that."

\---

Shinichi loitered as subtly as possible in the lobby of the Haido City Hotel, waiting for KID to arrive. The fundraiser's official start time was 6PM, but the doors opened an hour before that, so he'd scheduled an earlier meet up to make sure they took advantage of the extra time to gather information. 

If KID was late again, Shinichi was personally going to make him suffer for it.

"No." 

The voice was light, feminine and directly behind him. Shinichi turned to see a pretty, dark haired girl in her early 20s staring at him with a steel in her eyes that didn't match at all with the rest of her dainty appearance.

"No," the girl who was definitely Kaitou KID said again, stepping forward right into Shinichi's personal space as her voice dropped low. "Absolutely not. You cannot possibly think that this-" a wave at Shinichi "-is a sufficient disguise."

Shinichi bristled. "What's wrong with it?"

KID huffed at him. "You do realize that it isn't the glasses that keep people from figuring out who Conan is, right? Please tell me you realize this."

"Obviously. That's-"

"Still no," KID cut in. He glanced at the delicate wrist watch he was wearing and nodded. "We've got time to fix this. Wait here."

KID was gone before Shinichi could attempt another response; he watched with bemusement as KID sashayed across the floor towards the front desk, his steps light and the cocktail skirt he was wearing swirling about his thighs. 

At the counter, KID proceeded to charm the receptionist with effortless ease. Shinichi watched him talk, cataloguing the differences in body language and vocal tone that differentiated this disguise from KID's many others. At a glance, it was obvious that his Himiko persona was bashful, gentle and quietly charming, which made Shinichi wonder how KID decided how his various disguises would act, when he wasn’t impersonating someone specific.

KID returned a few minutes later, a gentle smile spreading across his face as he saw Shinichi watching him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Shinji-san," he said, in that same light, silvery voice. Once he got within arm's length, he reached out and laced their fingers together. A keycard was slipped into Shinichi's palm.

"I'll be right back," he promised, and leaned in close enough to look like he was brushing a kiss against Shinichi's cheek. The scent of lavender filled the air as KID murmured into his ear, "Room 609. Don't let the cameras get too good a look at you. Sweep for bugs while you're waiting."

"Don't take too long," Shinichi responded, an acknowledgement and a warning mixed into one. 

KID smiled sweetly and gave his fingers a squeeze. "I won't," he said, before pulling away and heading for the main door. An older man by the bar leered as he went by, and Shinichi had to resist the entirely ridiculous urge to glare at him. 

What was KID up to now? Shinichi didn't appreciate being thrown off balance before they'd even reached the banquet, although he supposed it had been foolish of him to expect anything different when Kaitou KID was involved. 

The question was, did he trust KID enough to follow his lead?

Briefly, Shinichi hesitated, before rolling his eyes at himself and heading for the elevator. He already knew he trusted KID more than he realistically should. KID going off script - like usual - wasn't enough to change that.

He pulled out his phone while he waited for the elevator, staring down at the screen as an excuse to keep his chin tucked and his face turned away from the security cameras. The ride up was uneventful, and Shinichi didn't allow the jangle of his nerves to distract him as he found room 609 and let himself in.

It was a standard one-bed room, but Shinichi wasn't interested the décor. He dutifully searched the room and attached washroom for bugs and wasn't surprised to find nothing. He made a mental note to tell Haibara that he might finally have met someone more paranoid than she was.

A few minutes after Shinichi had concluded his sweep, the door mechanism clicked open. He looked over to see KID stride in - without a key card, he noticed - laden down with shopping bags. The door shut beside him, and Shinichi watched KID's Himiko persona slough off of his shoulders like an unwanted coat.

He raised an eyebrow. "Forget something?"

"Not to assume that detectives have the faintest idea how disguises work," KID replied tartly, in his own voice. "Glasses and a voice changer aren't going to be much help when you don't bother to change your hair or your face. And no, Conan doesn't count as a counter example," he added, before Shinichi could even open his mouth. "Reverting into an elementary school student gives those cowlicks an automatic pass. Come on."

A little helplessly, Shinichi trailed after KID as he headed into the washroom and flicked on the light.

"Sit," he instructed, with an imperious gesture towards the closed toilet. His many bags got dumped on the countertop.

"Oi, oi," Shinichi protested. "Since when are you in charge?"

KID raised an elegantly shaped eyebrow at him. "If you want to make it more than ten steps into this party without getting recognized, you should sit down and let me give you a real disguise. If someone gets surprise-murdered at the party, you can be in charge then, but this is definitely my area of expertise."

It was a fair point. Shinichi sat.

"Nice glow-up, by the way," KID said as he started pulling a truly alarming amount of cosmetics out of the bags and piling them on the countertop. "I was so distracted by your superhero glasses I forgot to mention."

"It's not permanent," Shinichi admitted, wary of saying any more. He eyed the growing stacks of makeup with faint alarm. "Do you really need all of that?"

KID huffed in exasperated amusement. "Isn't your mother an actress? You must know at least a little bit about how all this works."

"I usually try and stay away from it all," Shinichi answered honestly. 

KID muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath. "Next time, just ask for help in advance and I'll be able to bring my own kit instead of spending a small fortune at the closest drug store."

Shinichi winced at the thought. "I'll pay for it."

"Oh, don't worry," KID said easily. "You already did."

Shinichi froze, and reached automatically for his wallet. He was completely unsurprised to find it missing.

"I'm glad you had the foresight to bring cash," KID continued cheerfully. He flicked his wrist and Shinichi's wallet appeared. "Maybe you're not completely useless at undercover work, after all."

Shinichi scowled at him and snatched back his wallet.

KID smirked. "Hair first," he decided. "Glasses and shirt off please."

"I can't wear a wig?" Shinichi asked, as he reached up to unknot his tie.

"Only if you brought one with you," KID shot back. "This is why you should just admit it when you're bad at things, by the way. Even great detectives can't be good at everything."

Shinichi watched KID's eyes snap to the voice-changing choker as soon as his shirt collar fell far enough away to reveal it. "You can turn that off for now, if you want," was all he said.

"I wasn't aware you liked the sound of my voice so much," Shinichi said, as he switched it off. 

KID took Shinichi's dress shirt and hung it on a hangar that definitely hadn't been there a moment before. "You can flirt with me later, Meitantei. Right now I have a disaster to fix."

"I _wasn't_ -" Shinichi started hotly.

There was a poof of smoke, and KID rounded on Shinichi with a comb and a bottle of some unfamiliar hair product. "Hold still."

With a pointed huff, Shinichi sat back as KID stepped forward, into the space on Shinichi's left. The position put his body in Shinichi's peripheral vision, blocking his view of the mirror and forcing him to rely on auditory and tactile clues for KID's movements. 

Shinichi heard the snick of a bottle opening, then felt KID using the comb to work something cool and viscous through his hair.

"You're wasting your time," he warned KID. "My mom used to despair over my cowlicks - nothing she tried could get rid of them."

"If I can handle my hair, I can handle yours," KID said distractedly. Shinichi quietly filed away that small piece of knowledge to add to his woefully incomplete mental file about the Kaitou KID. "Besides, there's a difference between trying to get rid of them and making them look like they're part of the style."

"If you say so," Shinichi said dubiously. 

He sat silently while the comb worked through his hair, and didn't protest when KID set aside the comb in favour of a hairdryer, although he privately doubted that this was worth the time KID was wasting on it.

"Stop making that face," KID said, as soon as the hairdryer fell silent. "You I know get competitive when you doubt my skills." The hairdryer was abandoned, and Shinichi blinked a little in surprise when KID next attacked his hair with his fingers, twisting and pulling and shaping the strands into who knew what configuration. It didn't feel like a traditional slicked-back look, Shinichi could tell that much. 

KID's nails were filed into smooth curves. Shinichi could feel them scratching lightly against his scalp as deft hands teased and fussed with his hair. The steady, repetitive motion was strangely hypnotic, lulling Shinichi's mind into a quiet state that it rarely slowed down long enough to enter.

"Don't fall asleep on me," KID warned. "I have questions."

"M'not asleep," Shinichi answered automatically, willing himself to be more alert. "What do you want to know?"

"How are you planning on bugging Nomura? During a conversation would be easiest."

"If we can manage it. There are several major European medical conglomerates in attendance tonight. Nomura's likely looking to make contact with them, so we may not have much opportunity to talk to him ourselves."

KID hummed thoughtfully. "Why do you think he's here for the foreign guests?"

Shinichi blamed the soothing motion of KID's fingers for what he said next. "The FBI thinks the Organization is looking to spread its influence outside of Japan. They've already got a presence in America, so Europe is the logical next step, especially if they're interested in expanding their medical research."

KID's fingers stilled. "Meitantei, did you forget to tell me that the FBI are coming to this party? Because I feel like you should know I'm allergic to spending time with law enforcement officers."

Shinichi snorted. "Please, you get a creepy amount of enjoyment out of spending time with law enforcement officers. I wouldn't be surprised if you do it in your civilian identity as well."

KID's fingers twitched against his scalp then, deliberately, went back to styling his hair. "First of all, how rude of you, Meitantei. Secondly, you didn't answer my question."

"No, the FBI won't be at the fundraiser," Shinichi sighed. "They're planning on monitoring the Europeans reps immediately after the fundraiser, to see if they can find a link back to the Organization. They considered actually sending their operatives in to be too much risk for too little payoff."

"But you know something they don't."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Would you stop phrasing questions like they're statements of fact? It's not like I don't notice you doing it."

"Such a harsh critic," KID said in a teasing tone that immediately set Shinichi's teeth on edge. "You know, I could have been a foreign national if you'd asked. My French is impeccable." There was a pause that Shinichi assumed was KID grinning. "My foreigner-speaking-Japanese accent is pretty good too." 

"I'm glad not to have to listen to that all night," Shinichi said dryly. Jodie-sensei's bad Japanese had been more than enough. "It's fine. Without knowing exactly what he's looking for from these companies, it would have been hard to manufacture the right bait anyway." 

"Makes sense," KID allowed. "So what's the plan instead?" 

"I've got some transmitters that we can use to track him, if we can plant one on him or his possessions. My cufflinks have microphones built into them too, so if I lose one near his table, we'll be able to listen in. If we can manufacture a conversation, then that's great, otherwise, we'll have to find another excuse to get close enough."

KID's thoughtful hum didn't sound encouraging. "A lot of room for error."

"I'm aware. You might be able to plan down to the second for your heists, but it's not usually so straightforward in the real world. People don't play by the rules."

"There's a certain amount of freestyling involved in my heists, especially when _you're_ involved-" KID's tone of voice made it impossible to know how to take that "-but I see your point. Are you expecting other members of this organization to be there?"

"Probably." A thought occurred, and Shinichi frowned. "One of their members has a similar skill set to yours, so it won't be easy to tell if we're being observed."

"Don't worry about me," KID said, with a blasé sort of confidence that Shinichi could reluctantly admit was well founded. Of the two of them, KID wasn't the one most likely to give them away. "Once I'm done with your makeover, you'll fool them as well, I'm sure."

"Don't take forever," Shinichi warned him. "I don't want to be late."

"Is worrying too much a detective thing or a you thing, hmm? Have a little faith." KID's fingers left Shinichi's hair, and Shinichi watched him pluck a couple of items from the many makeup compacts he'd unloaded earlier. "That'll do for your hair. Face next."

Shinichi groaned. "I can see why you usually wear masks."

"Still your fault that this is happening," KID singsonged. "Now hold still."

It was easier not to argue. Much as he hated to admit it, Shinichi really wasn't any kind of expert at disguise. He might look like an idiot when KID was done, but it would keep the Black Org from recognizing him, which was all that really mattered. 

At KID's instruction, Shinichi shifted around so that he was facing him, knees spread wide around KID's legs. He had a bizarre moment of having his eyeline on a level with KID's false cleavage, then KID ducked down and his face filled Shinichi's vision.

"You can have that nap now, if you want," KID smirked. "Just so long as you keep your face still."

"You-" was as far as Shinichi got before KID shushed him with a pointed tap of his makeup brush.

Shinichi had worn makeup before on several occasions, so he wasn't totally unfamiliar with the process. It was somehow different, though, to have it being done by KID instead of his mother. 

KID worked quickly but carefully, his expression blank with focus as he wielded brushes and pencils and sponges with the same unerring competency as his card gun. This was another weapon in KID's arsenal, Shinichi knew, one of his most valuable, and it prompted a strange feeling of disconnect to be seeing the process behind KID's seemingly effortless powers of disguise. 

The room was quiet, the intermittent clack of plastic compacts against the ceramic countertop the only sound besides their breathing. The lavender scent of KID's perfume was overwhelmingly present with him so far into Shinichi's personal space. The pale blue polish on KID's nails shimmered every time his hand shifted. 

There was something dangerously intimate about this, Shinichi realized. Not because of KID's proximity - they'd been in close quarters on more occasions than he cared to count - but because he wasn't used to having all of KID's attention. During a heist, KID was like a shogi player: always planning contingencies upon contingencies, his mind already moving three steps ahead and adjusting his strategy to avoid every new attack. 

When Shinichi was focused on a mystery, it tended to give him tunnel vision, but KID's scope seemed to broaden, spreading out to cover as many factors as possible. It wasn't often that any one thing received all of KID's focus. 

Here, in this stuffy little bathroom, with KID's eyes - their colour hidden by dark contact lenses but their glittering intensity unmistakable - fixed steadily on him, Shinichi had to admit that the weight of that laser focus was almost dizzying.

It could have been five minutes or an hour later when KID finally drew back, an assessing look on his face as he stared at Shinichi.

Shinichi resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at him.

KID sighed. "It'll do," he said, his lips curling into a little moue of discontent. He fished Shinichi's glasses off the countertop and held them out.

"Hardly a ringing endorsement," Shinichi observed, as he slipped the thin frames on. He hoped that his quiet breath of relief when KID's eyes slipped away was subtle enough to go unnoticed. 

KID shrugged. "I could do better with another half hour, but we're already edging towards fashionably on time as it is. Since you're not impersonating anyone specific, it should be enough to pass muster." He shook out his hands, then clapped them together. "Okay! My turn now. Out please."

Shinichi took in KID's outfit - demure blouse and matching skirt, subtle but attractive makeup, graceful heels - and frowned. "You're not going like that?"

"Well, I _was_ , until someone's need for an emergency makeover required me to book a hotel room."

KID's tone of voice suggested that the issue was obvious, but Shinichi wasn't quite sure what he was getting at. "I hardly think the concierge has been invited to the gala."

KID rolled his eyes. "Think, Meitantei. There aren't many reasons why someone would book a hotel room _before_ attending a fancy event, and I'm much too classy for a quickie before dinner. Also, I don't think we're going to get the right kind of attention if we show up looking post-coital."

KID paused for a moment - presumably to relish the way that Shinichi had nearly choked on his own tongue at the very thought - then said, "It defeats the whole purpose of giving you a real disguise if anyone starts wondering why _you_ got all dolled up for the party, so process of elimination means that I've got to get all dolled up instead." His face rearranged itself into a sad little frown. "Poor Himiko-chan is so mortified that her darling boyfriend misjudged how fancy this party's going to be that she's going to end up overcompensating. I hope you're fine with me making a statement."

"Do you do anything else?" Shinichi asked, which was as close to an acknowledgement of KID's point as he was willing to get. 

KID's heist grin flashed. "Not if I can help it. There's another mirror in the other room," he said, as he passed Shinichi his shirt and tie. "You can behold my masterpiece out there while I do some touch-ups. Won't take long."

Considering how quickly KID was able to change disguises on heists, Shinichi didn't doubt it. "Got it."

The door clicked gently shut behind him as Shinichi left the bathroom. He paused to take a quick, steadying breath, then headed for the mirror. 

Although he was willing to acknowledge that KID's skills of disguise were without peer, Shinichi had to admit to having wondered how successful KID would be with only drug store cosmetics to work with, instead of his usual latex and prosthetics.

He needn't have worried.

Shinichi's eyes tracked slowly over the unfamiliar contours of his own face: his cheekbones were sharper, his brows thicker and his lips thinner. KID had put eyeliner on him, the bastard, and a subtle eyeshadow that somehow contrived to make his eyes look unnaturally blue, as though their colour was being achieved with contact lenses. Subaru's glasses looked like a stylish affectation, rather than making him appear studious, which hadn't been Shinichi's original intention, but he couldn't deny that it worked.

It was his hair that gave him the most pause, though.

KID hadn't been kidding about not trying to tame his cowlicks. Instead, he'd teased out the rest of his hair into an artfully messy look that somehow managed to be clean enough for a formal occasion but still very modern rock star in execution. 

Between the hair and the eyeliner, Shinichi felt like a J-pop idol. 

"You can be impressed, you know," KID's voice came from behind him. There'd been no sound of the bathroom door opening, of course. "I won't hold it against you."

"Yes, you would," Shinichi said, turning. 

On the surface, KID's disguise hadn't changed that much. His black wig was still hanging long and straight down his back, and the round, sweet face hadn't changed. He'd changed into a slinky blue dress that obscured the breadth of his shoulders and drew attention to his slim waist and the long, toned stretch of his legs. One of KID's hands lingered near the slightly scandalous hem of his skirt, as though fighting the urge to tug it down. There was a tiny black handbag looped over his left wrist.

Before, his makeup had been minimal and designed to blend naturally with the pale shade of his skin. Now, however, the colours were bolder: blues to match the dress, and a red lipstick so dark it was almost purple. It had all been applied with an unsteady hand, causing the colours to smudge in odd places and the arc of his eyeliner and the bow of his lips to be uneven. His eyes looked huge in proportion to the rest of his face.

All together, it made him look like a girl who wasn't used to dressing up, but somehow managed to be endearing in her awkwardness rather than tacky. The fact that KID's disguise was strikingly pretty helped with that; people were typically willing to forgive a lot from attractive people.

"Well?" KID asked.

Shinichi pointed at the handbag. "Do I want to know what you have in that?" 

KID pouted at him. "No comment on my amazing skills? Meitantei, I'm crushed."

"We're going to attract attention," Shinichi predicted. It was going to be impossible not to.

KID waved him off. "There's all kinds of attention, Meitantei. The kind we'll be attracting won't be the kind that gets you murdered by a shady criminal organization, which is the important thing, isn't it?"

Shinichi was unconvinced. "I think you're just looking for an excuse to shock people."

"Ma~ybe." The curve of KID's smirk in that red lipstick was positively sinful.

He was impossible. "Are you ready?" Shinichi asked. A glance at his phone revealed that they had not quite half an hour before the fundraiser officially began - not ideal, but much better than it could have been. At least KID worked fast.

KID nodded, shifting into motion as he came towards Shinichi. "Whenever you are."

Standing next to each other, Shinichi discovered that they were almost of a height. KID was actually slightly shorter than him, but the heels on his shoes easily made up the difference.

KID, observing the same thing, sniffed in disapproval. "Next time, we're getting you some lifts," he said, his tone falling somewhere between a tease and a threat.

Shinichi opted not to comment on the likelihood of there being a next time. Instead, he turned the voice-changing choker back on and tugged his tie into place to hide it. "Can we go now?" he asked in Shinji's voice.

It was Himiko who smiled in answer, the transformation so rapid it made Shinichi's eyebrows climb in silent respect. "Of course, Shinji-san." 

They stepped out of the room together, though KID paused when Shinichi moved to head down the hallway.

"Let me just get the door." He turned back, and Shinichi just barely glimpsed the small piece of paper he slid against the doorjamb as he pulled the door firmly shut.

"Are you always this paranoid?" Shinichi whispered, as KID returned to his side.

"You'll be grateful later," KID shot back, in Himiko's voice. His hand slipped daintily into the crook of Shinichi's elbow, and he'd shifted his stance somehow to make himself look shorter. Shinichi wasn't quite sure how he was managing it - something to do with the curl of his shoulders? "Shall we?"

Shinichi nodded, and the pair of them made their way to the elevator. Show time.

\--- 

They arrived about a quarter of an hour before the event's official start time; Shinichi had been planning on leaving himself more time to scope things out, but he could acknowledge, in the privacy of his own mind, at least, that it had been time well spent. 

He handed their tickets over at the door, KID matching his stride easily as they walked into the bustling hall. Shinichi's eyes immediately swept the room, cataloguing the exits, areas of focus, faces in the crowd, likely places for Nomura to-

One particular face emerged from the bustle and he stiffened.

KID, tucked up against his side as he was, noticed immediately. "Meitantei?" he whispered, even as his eyes travelled around the room with almost painfully innocent awe. Himiko, it seemed, was not used to gala events. 

Shinichi swallowed, forcing himself to be calm. "The person I mentioned, with talents like yours?" he murmured back. "She's here."

Something in KID's face sharpened ever so slightly. "Where?"

"The blonde woman on the far side of the silent auction."

"Oh, wow, that's Chris Vineyard," KID said, following his gaze. Impossibly, his eyes widened even further. "They chose her as their cover? That's ballsy."

"That's rich, coming from you," Shinichi said, instead of correcting him. The less KID knew about the Black Org, the better.

"Ah, but I'm a professional. Nothing wrong with being ballsy when you get away with it. Should I ask for her autograph?" he wondered. "My mom's a big fan of hers."

Shinichi had no intention of letting Vermouth get that close to either of them. "Better to stay clear."

KID shrugged. "If you say so. Any sign of Nomura?"

Shinichi shook his head minutely. "Not yet. Let's take a look around. Keep pretending you've never seen a reception hall in your life."

"So bossy," KID replied, with laughter in his voice, but he did as he was told.

They made a slow circuit of the room, engaging in the sort of polite dull hobnobbing that Shinichi usually didn't have to bother with when he was Conan. KID kept up his wide-eyed ingenue act the entire time, which afforded them almost as many indulgent looks as they earned raised eyebrows over Shinichi's idol look and the length of KID's skirt. 

Shinichi spotted Nomura at a table towards the left side of the room, unfortunately nowhere close enough to the main thoroughfare for them to approach without being obvious about it. A glance at the general hubbub at the front of the room suggested that they'd begin the opening address soon, so he steered KID towards an empty table.

"Why are we sitting down already?" KID asked, sotto voce. "I know you saw Nomura."

"It's too obvious to approach him now." Choosing the seat that afforded him the clearest view of both Nomura's table and the main door, Shinichi waved KID into the chair beside him. "Besides, the host is fussing with his script, which means we'll all be called to sit down in a minute anyway. Better to have our pick of the tables so we can keep an eye on things during dinner. I'll observe Nomura; you keep a look out for Vermouth."

"Vermouth? Ah, the lovely Miss Vineyard."

As he spoke, the master of ceremonies finally finished dithering and stepped up to the podium at the front of the room. "Ah, good evening everyone. Welcome to-"

KID made a quiet sound of amusement. "Do you ever tired of being right, Meitantei?"

"I don't know. Do you ever get tired of not getting arrested at heists?"

KID chuckled. "Fair enough," he said, then fell back into character as another couple approached their table.

The tables had seating for eight, so they wound up sharing with three sets of strangers. After determining that none of them were with the Black Org, Shinichi wasn't interested in them in any capacity beyond needing to maintain their cover. Helpfully, KID was quick to pick up most of the conversational slack, leaving Shinichi free to focus the majority of his attention on Nomura and join the general chatter only when spoken to directly.

Though he'd suspected it before now, Shinichi was able to confirm that KID was fluent in English as he conversed easily with the foreign couple seated at their table. They seemed entirely charmed by KID's persona, who proved to be just as sweet and gentle as Shinichi had expected. Himiko was a far cry from the white-suited phantom thief who gave him the runaround at crimes scenes, or the teasing almost-ally who bantered with him on moonlit roofs, and Shinichi found himself glad that KID wasn't like this all the time. He wasn't used to spending time with someone so eager to please. 

Dinner was tedious. KID and their tablemates exclaimed over the food - expensive, Western, nothing Shinichi hadn't had before - while Shinichi watched Nomura as covertly as possible. Contrary to Shinichi's expectations, Nomura hadn't chosen a table near the European representatives. Instead, his seat was adjacent to the tables reserved for the students and recent graduates of Todai Medical School. Why had he chosen to sit there?

Nomura looked to be chatting easily with the people at his table, but he was much too far away for Shinichi to even bother attempting to overhear him in a room as loud as this. 

"I can toss one of your cufflinks at him," KID whispered, the wine glass in his hand blocking the view of his mouth to anyone who might be watching. "From this distance, I can probably get it in his drink."

"Too risky," Shinichi concluded reluctantly. "Vermouth?"

"She's looked over here a couple of times, but it didn't look deliberate. Of course," KID added. "I wouldn't make it look deliberate either, so I can't say for sure."

"Ah, young love!" one of the Americans exclaimed, sounding delighted. Her voice was loud enough to draw attention from some of the neighbouring tables.

KID promptly blushed and shifted away from where he'd been leaning towards Shinichi. "Sorry," he murmured, eyes downcast. "That was rude of me."

"Not at all!" the woman - expensively dressed, mid-40s, living happily off her husband's wealth - beamed at the two of them. "It's wonderful to see such a lovely couple. Tell me, how did you two meet?"

KID had prepared an answer to that question in the profiles he'd made, so Shinichi left it to him to spin the details out in a suitably romantic fashion. He made agreeing noises when necessary, his attention still on Nomura's strange behaviour. 

Now that dinner was mostly over, people had begun circulating around the room again. Nomura had stood up as well, but he hadn't taken the opportunity to approach the foreign delegates. Instead he was still talking with the younger guests, and had even gone so far as to position himself near the dessert buffet, well out of the way of the main traffic around the room. If he was here to make foreign contacts, then he wasn't doing a very good job.

Shinichi frowned thoughtfully. Jodie-sensei had been confident that Nomura was here to expand the Black Org's influence into Europe, but what if...?

The obvious answer came to him in a flash. 

_Ah,_ he thought. Smug satisfaction curled his lips into a smile. _So that's how it is._

"Isn't that right, Shinji-san?" KID's voice cut into his thoughts.

"Of course," Shinichi replied immediately. KID's hand was resting conspicuously on the tablecloth between them, so Shinichi took the hint and covered it with his own hand.

KID twined their fingers together and gave him a besotted smile. Shinichi had the fleeting thought that he'd much rather see KID's manic heist grin and promptly wanted to punch himself in the face.

The American woman cooed over them, and Shinichi had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. 

Thankfully, her husband drew her attention away a few moments later, so Shinichi only had to endure the attention for a short while.

KID took the opportunity to scoot his chair closer to Shinichi's. "I know that look," he said quietly. "What have you figured out?" 

At the reminder, Shinichi's eyes swept back towards Nomura. He was talking to a different group of students, who seemed to be listening with interest to what he was saying.

"If you would rather leave me to figure it out on my own I'm okay with that." KID propped his chin up on one hand and gave Shinichi a slow, secretive smile. "But I think we both know you like showing off too much for that."

That was enough to spur Shinichi to throw him an irritated glance, which slid right off KID's amusement like water from a glass. 

"Well?" KID asked. He adopted a wide-eyed hopefulness reminiscent of the way he'd gaped at the décor. "Please won't you tell me, Shinji-san?"

Maybe he should have asked Hattori after all, Shinichi thought sourly. They'd have been found out in three minutes flat, but at least then he wouldn't have to deal with the Kaitou KID making puppy eyes at him.

Darting a covert glance at their tablemates - didn't seem to be listening, but appearances could be deceiving - Shinichi sighed internally and leaned in closer to KID.

"Look at the areas of the room Nomura's frequenting," he said in an undertone. "The dessert buffets, the edges of the dance floor, the tables mostly populated by students and recent graduates of Tokyo University."

"Not good places to hobnob with European bigwigs," KID concluded, catching on immediately. "If he was here for them, he'd be lingering around their tables."

"Or at the silent auction. He's not trying to expand their network," Shinichi explained. "He's here to recruit new members for the organization's research team."

KID made a thoughtful noise. "Do you think shady criminal syndicates have good health plans?"

Shinichi couldn't have kept from thinking about Haibara if he tried. "I doubt it."

"Well," KID said. "Stylish as your current look is, you can't really pass as a young medical professional."

"I don't know enough about medicine to fool anyone anyway." Commotion at the front of the room drew his attention, and Shinichi cursed internally. "Nothing we can do about it now anyway. The speeches are about to begin."

"Be still, my beating heart," KID deadpanned, even as his whole body turned towards the middle-aged executive stepping up to the presentation podium like a flower turning towards the sun. Shinichi wondered how long he'd be able to keep up that rapt, still slightly overwhelmed expression in the face of a good hour of dust-dry speeches. 

For his part, Shinichi prepared to ignore absolutely everything they said while he focused on what their next step would be. He'd made Haibara a promise; he wasn't about to fail.


	2. Chapter 2

When the speeches finally ended, the relief in the room was palpable. The air came alive with chatter as people socialized, partook of more desserts, went to check the progress of their bids in the silent auction and hustled discreetly to the washroom. The space in front of the podium was repurposed into a dance floor, the music just barely loud enough to be heard over the hubbub.

Their tablemates all abandoned their seats to pursue their own interests. KID glanced over at Shinichi, asking without words, but Shinichi shook his head slightly: they were better off waiting for now. KID settled back in his chair without complaint, ever the obedient girlfriend.

Nomura trying to enlist naïve new recruits actually made their job easier, Shinichi had concluded. Though KID was right that neither of them could realistically fake being one of the medical students, their disguises were of a comparable age, so it wouldn't be unusual if they gravitated towards the areas Nomura was frequenting. 

They'd give Nomura some time to network, then KID could use his skills as a pickpocket to plant one of the transmitters on him. All they'd need to do then was wait until the end of the evening and use Conan's glasses to follow Nomura back to his home and, hopefully, from there to the Black Org's current base of operations. 

Satisfied with his plan, Shinichi found his gaze slipping to KID, sitting quietly at his side. 

Even now, when it was just the two of them at the table, KID was still flawlessly in character. His arms were resting on the table, delicately crossed at the wrists in such a way that emphasized their lithe gracefulness, and the curve of his spine had a willowy softness to it that was in stark contrast to Shinichi's own distinctly masculine slouch. There was a quiet, wistful sort of smile on KID's face as he watched the couples whirling about on the dance floor.

Shinichi should have been used to this - he'd used his deductions to see through KID's disguises often enough in the past to know how good he was at staying in character - but it was somehow like seeing that talent anew in this moment when no one was looking and still there wasn't a hint of KID's usual body language or expression to be found.

KID's head tilted towards him, a shy sort of curiosity on his face. "Something on your mind?" he asked, KID's words but Himiko's everything else. 

"You can be so many different people," Shinichi found himself saying. "How do you do that without losing who you are?"

Something dangerous flashed in KID's eyes. "Are you trying to _solve_ me, Meitantei?"

Shinichi frowned. "What? No, I was just-"

"You don't even realize, do you? You detectives are all the same." KID rose out of his chair, every move calculatedly graceful. 

Shinichi leaned back as KID stepped in close, but KID followed his retreat. There was nowhere to go as he leaned in, boxing Shinichi in against the table. Lavender filled Shinichi's senses.

"I'm not a puzzle to solve," KID's real voice murmured in Shinichi's ear. "Don’t treat me like a crime scene to ferret secrets out of."

"I-" was as far as Shinichi managed to get before KID straightened, expression wobbling in a midway place between calm and distressed as he walked away from the table without a backwards glance.

Shinichi throttled the instinctive urge to run after him and apologize. It was just a knee-jerk reaction ingrained into him by Ran and Sonoko, probably, and it wasn't like he'd actually managed to upset KID. He didn't know what the thief was playing at, but he wouldn't break character so easily. He had to have something else planned.

Shinichi was better off leaving KID to his own devices and sticking with the plan to cross Nomura's path.

Wait, where was Nomura?

Cursing his distraction, Shinichi swept his eyes across the room, trying to spot Nomura in the crowd. He couldn't see him. Maybe he'd gone to the-

"May I sit here?" a horrifyingly familiar voice asked in English. 

Shinichi's blood turned to ice.

He watched with a numb horror as Chris Vineyard - _Vermouth_ \- sat in KID's abandoned chair and flashed him a movie star smile. "I heard you and your girlfriend speaking English earlier, so this is okay, right?"

She'd been close enough to hear them? When? Were the _tables_ bugged? What had she heard them say?

Silence stretched as Shinichi's thoughts whirled, lasting too long to be polite. Vermouth's brow furrowed with what Shinichi's panicked brain recognized as suspicion. What excuse could he-?

Unbidden, KID's earlier comment came back to him. _I could ask for-_

"Your autograph!" Shinichi blurted in English, then tried his best to look sheepish at the sudden outburst. "Sorry, it's, that was rude, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

Vermouth laughed. "You Japanese are so polite! It's no trouble." She smiled again, suspicion melting into amusement as she produced a pen. "I can give you an autograph. Do you have any paper?"

Shinichi didn't, but a cocktail napkin was easily sacrificed to the cause. He passed it over with another round of apologies, hoping he wasn't laying it on too thick.

"It happens all the time," Vermouth said, with easy graciousness. Like KID, she inhabited her disguise with ease. Unlike with KID, it was setting every nerve in Shinichi's body to screaming, trying to reconcile this affable superstar with the adversary hiding beneath.

Vermouth either didn't notice his distraction or chose not to comment on it. "Who am I making it out to?"

"Himiko," Shinichi said, in a burst of inspiration, and Vermouth cocked her head curiously.

"Is Himiko your girlfriend?"

Shinichi nodded. "She's a big fan."

Vermouth hummed. "Will it make her happy enough to forgive you for whatever you did to make her abandon you just now?" Though she was still Chris Vineyard through and through, Shinichi could see a familiar hint of steel in those pale eyes.

He hoped that he looked appropriately repentant as he ducked his head, away from that weighty gaze. "You saw that? I didn't mean to upset her."

"But upset her you did. Not a cool thing for a young man to do." Vermouth propped her cheek against her hand and gave him an appraising look while Shinichi tried not to have a heart attack at her phrasing. "Why is she unhappy?"

Was he seriously getting advice about his fake relationship with a disguised Kaitou KID from a disguised Vermouth? Shinichi didn't know whether the thought made him want to laugh or cry.

What _had_ he done to set KID off? The storming away had definitely been deliberate but, thinking back, Shinichi wondered if the excuse for it had been being more truthful than KID wanted him to believe.

 _I'm not a puzzle to solve,_ KID had said. 

"She thinks I don't appreciate her for who she really is," Shinichi said slowly. "I think she thinks I see her as a means to an end."

Vermouth tsked. "Shame on you, for making her think so."

This was so bizarre. Shinichi rubbed at the back of his neck in a parody of sheepishness. "I can't believe I'm being told off by Chris Vineyard."

That earned him a chuckle. "Well, clearly someone needs to be telling you off. Your Himiko is clearly a sweet girl-" which suggested that she _had_ been watching them, but why? "-and you don't want to make her feel unappreciated."

Shinichi contrived to look lovestruck and worried. He doubted it worked very well. "Any suggestions?"

"Well..." Vermouth smirked, and Shinichi had to force back the shudder that wanted to snake down his spine. "You should probably start with an apology." She nodded towards something over his shoulder. "Before someone else steals her away from you."

Shinichi turned, just in time to see KID smiling shyly at a young man who was leading him onto the dance floor. The young man looked overjoyed at his luck; Shinichi had to resist the urge to snort in amusement.

He didn't know if him charging in would cause complications with whatever wiles KID was working, but KID was just going to have to deal with it. Shinichi wasn't about to stay in this conversation any longer, especially when he'd just been handed such an obvious out.

"That's-" He pushed himself sharply to his feet and half-turned to go before belatedly and obviously remembering himself. "I'm sorry," he said, sketching a quick bow. "But would you mind if I...?"

"Make sure you apologize properly," Vermouth said, passing over the autographed napkin. "Sweeping in is no good if you don't match your words with your actions."

"I will." Shinichi bowed again, then strode off towards the dance floor, hoping that any undue haste on his part would look like he was rushing to fend off an interloper, rather than fleeing from Vermouth. He didn't dare look back to see if she was watching; presumably she was, which meant it was up to him to give her nothing untoward to see.

The song hadn't ended yet by the time Shinichi reached the dance floor, so he lingered to one side, waiting. The dance floor was moderately populated, but it wasn't difficult to pick KID and his partner out of the crowd. KID, to Shinichi's complete lack of surprise, was an excellent dancer. Watching him float across the floor, weightless as a leaf on the wind, made Shinichi think of a white suited figure in a top hat, defying the police and gravity alike with reckless abandon.

The gentle smile on his face still looked nothing like KID's lunatic grin, but Shinichi could see, more clearly than he'd been able to since they'd left the hotel room, the familiar parts of KID emerging and blending with his disguise.

The song slowed to a close, and Shinichi shook off his odd distraction in favour of stepping forward to tap KID's partner on the shoulder. "Can I cut in?"

"Shinji-san!" KID exclaimed, sounding both surprised and slightly frosty.

Shinichi mustered up his best apologetic smile. "Will you dance with me, Himiko-chan?"

KID hesitated - playing his part a little too well, as far as Shinichi was concerned - and Shinichi willed his expression to turn pleading.

"Please?"

"Oh, alright," KID said, with a helpless little smile.

KID's dance partner surrendered him with only a hint of regret, and KID invaded Shinichi's personal space like he belonged there.

Shinichi couldn't be certain that Vermouth was still watching, but he pulled out the signed napkin just in case. "You mentioned wanting one of these, right?"

There was a heartbeat of silence as KID absorbed what Shinichi was holding, and where he had to have got it from. A high pitched cry of delight escaped KID's mouth, and then Shinichi abruptly found himself being kissed by the Kaitou KID.

Shinichi's breath escaped in a startled rush as KID's lips - softer than he'd expected and waxy with lipstick - brushed against his own in a sweet lingering tease that never deepened into anything inappropriate but was silently devastating all the same. KID's fingers were on his cheeks, a delicate press that allowed Shinichi to feel the callouses built up on his skin, mute evidence of KID's hard-won skills as an acrobat and a marksman. 

The rest of world seemed suddenly very far away.

The kiss lasted perhaps ten seconds at the most; somehow, Shinichi still felt dizzy when KID finally drew back.

"Thank you, Shinji-san," KID said softly. There was a cautious sort of apology in his eyes that was almost worse than the confused tangle of feelings snarled up in Shinichi's chest.

Somehow, Shinichi summoned up a smile. "So, does that mean you forgive me?"

That earned him a toss of KID's hair and an impish smile, edged with fondness. "It's a good start."

The napkin vanished into KID's little bag, and then KID wrapped his arms around Shinichi's neck, smiling up at him as their chests brushed. 

"Dance with me?"

Bemused but sure there was a reason for it, Shinichi rested his own hands on KID's waist and let KID sweep them into step with the music. KID was a solid line of heat all down his front; Shinichi could feel the ghost of his skirt brushing against his legs every time they shifted.

KID settled his head against Shinichi's collarbone with a contented little sigh. 

"Do we need to abort?" he murmured into Shinichi's collar. The quiet susurrus of his voice carried no further than the two of them, their embrace and the volume of the music working to create a small bubble of space where they didn't have to worry about being overheard.

"I don't think so," Shinichi replied, just as quietly.

He felt the curl of KID's lips against the thin skin of his neck as he smiled. "Way to sound confident there, Meitantei. If you get me nearly blown up again, I'm going to be very upset with you."

"We're not going to get blown up." As they spun, Shinichi chanced a glance back at their table. Vermouth was still there, but she was now surrounded by a handful of starstruck fans. Shinichi had no doubt that she hadn't forgotten about him, though. "I don't know if she came to talk to me because she suspects something or if she just wanted to talk."

"Hmm. What did you talk about?"

"You, actually. Apparently, I'm not treating Himiko-chan right."

KID snickered. "Mistreating your poor fake girlfriend. What a horrible person you are. Chris Vineyard does have a reputation for championing women's rights," he added thoughtfully. "So maybe she's just playing the part?"

"Maybe." Puzzling out Vermouth's intentions was nigh impossible even on a good day, and Shinichi gave up with a sigh. "Either way, she'll likely be keeping an eye on us, so we're going to have to be extra careful."

"Meitantei, please. Who do you think you're talking to? If I can successfully disguise myself as a princess on her coronation day, I can play Himiko well enough to fool your Vermouth."

"You did what? When?"

KID's teasing hum buzzed against Shinichi's neck. "Hmm, I wonder."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I lost sight of Nomura," he confessed, flicking his eyes around the room as subtly as possible. Still no sign. "Odds are that he's left the reception hall, but is still in the hotel. If Vermouth is watching us, it'll be too obvious to go looking for him."

"Oh, I know where he is." KID's tone was offhand, but Shinichi knew he was grinning, the smug bastard. "You see, while you were talking to your Vermouth about how wonderful I am, I was out here taking advantage of the fact that other people think so too."

"You danced with Nomura?" Shinichi asked dubiously.

"Sadly, he is not a fan of dancing," KID sighed. "But several of the young medical professionals he's looking to recruit most definitely are. And there's nothing quite so important to dashing young men as having things to brag about while they're dancing with pretty young ladies."

Shinichi felt a pleased smirk lift his mouth as he realized where KID was going with this. "They told you where Nomura is."

"They told me where Nomura is," KID agreed. "Apparently, he's set up shop in one of the hotel rooms on this floor to conduct impromptu interviews with recent graduates. Describing it as an 'excellent opportunity' for new work in the field of medical research."

Just like Haibara's parents. The very thought left Shinichi feeling cold. 

"I don't suppose you bugged any of your dance partners?"

"You've got the transmitters," KID reminded him, and Shinichi cursed to himself. Just this once, why couldn't KID have stolen them from him like he usually did?

"Hmm. Even if I can figure out who he's likely to target, we can't know which of them will have already had their interviews." Shinichi let KID worry about keeping them from bumping into any of the other swaying couples, too focused on the problem at hand to care about pointless things like dancing. "And Vermouth will definitely be suspicious if you go back to dancing with other people now that I've apologized, so that's out. We're going to have to wait for him to come back to the hall, and then manufacture a reason to get close enough to get a transmitter on him." While Vermouth was watching. Shinichi grimaced. 

"There's something else to consider." KID's voice was carefully flat, for reasons that Shinichi didn't care to wonder about right now. He wasn't really listening anyway.

"Maybe if you distract her, I can slip out," he mused. "She'll obviously know I'm gone, but if she does think you're actually Himiko, then that might be enough to keep her focused on you while I find him and plant the transmitter. Do you think that you ca-"

"Shinichi," KID interrupted, which was unprecedented enough to make Shinichi snap to immediate attention. "There's something else. Several of them told me that he's shown them data from a project that his company is currently working on. A wonder drug that's supposed to have unheard of regenerative abilities," he added, as a bolt of pure adrenaline shot down Shinichi's spine. "Sounds a little too convenient to be a coincidence, doesn't it?"

There was only one thought in Shinichi's mind. "I need that data."

KID breathed out a sound that wasn't quite a sigh. "I figured you might. What's the new plan, then?"

They needed to find Nomura as soon as possible, preferably without drawing Vermouth's attention. Shinichi's mind flicked rapidly through possibilities. "Can you create a distraction?"

"How big of a distraction?" KID asked immediately. "Because I'm not really wearing the right shoes for a heist, but I hate to turn down a challenge, so-"

"Nothing like that," Shinichi interrupted. Having the Kaitou KID show up to cause chaos was really not his idea of keeping a low profile. And if KID wasn't already on the organization's radar, Shinichi wasn't about to be the one who put him there. "Just something that causes enough commotion to get everyone's attention away from us long enough for us to copy the data and get back." 

"Hmm. Normally, I'd consider fainting artistically, but it seems like the wrong con to try and sell in a room full of medical professionals. Plan B then."

KID smoothly drew them to a stop, exactly in time with the end of a song, the show off. 

"Shinji-san," he said, with that same hopeful smile that he'd been inflicting on Shinichi all night. "Shall we go see what they have in the silent auction?"

"Am I buying you something so you'll forgive me?" Shinichi asked, with all the patronizing amusement he could muster.

KID's cheeks pinked. "If you don't mind."

Shinichi nodded his agreement, breathing a small sigh of relief as KID finally stepped out of his personal space. KID laced their fingers together instead, his left with Shinichi's right, grinning with a childish sort of delight as he tugged him towards the silent auction tables. 

The crowds were thicker here, small pockets of people standing chatting while making sure to spend their wealth conspicuously in support of charity. KID wove them through the crush with a mix of gentle touches and softly spoken apologies that soon had them at the auction tables.

They made their way leisurely along the auction, KID exclaiming over the prizes he liked and then looking shyly pleased whenever Shinichi wrote down bids. Shinichi earned himself several envious looks from the people overseeing these exchanges, which made him wonder who was more strange: them, for finding Himiko's subservient behaviour appealing, or him for thinking it would be much easier if KID just stole the prizes he liked and Shinichi could leave the money afterwards.

Though he had a pretty good guess about what KID had planned, it was still mostly fluke that Shinichi managed to spot the split second between KID deftly relieving an unsuspecting woman of the ring she was wearing and it vanishing from between his fingers. Judging by the wink KID threw him when he caught him looking, Shinichi very much doubted that it was the first thing KID had stolen either. He had a mental image of KID's little handbag bulging with stolen property, and had to resist the urge to pinch the brow of his nose in despair. 

Well, it would certainly create a compelling distraction.

"Now would be a good time to go," KID murmured, a few minutes later. They'd walked down all but the farthest table, and Shinichi had the idle thought that he'd better get outbid on several of those prizes or else he'd need to take a trip to the bank in order to pay for it all. He should have known that KID would have expensive taste in jewelry. "Try to look smug."

KID's hand slid into his again, and then KID was leading them both across the floor towards the door. He glanced back at Shinichi several times with a secretive, slightly naughty curl to his lips, and Shinichi tried and failed not to blush at the obvious implication.

"My necklace!" a woman shrieked, when they were about two thirds of the way to the door. 

"Keep moving," KID murmured, as if Shinichi needed to be told.

That first scream prompted other people to take up similar cries as they checked their own valuables, which was quickly whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The people who had been lingering in the hall outside came in to see what was going on, and KID nearly got run over by a grossly overweight man in a grey suit who tried to enter the door at the same time as they were leaving. Shinichi caught him automatically as KID stumbled, hands hovering uselessly while KID pretended to regain his balance.

"I'm so sorry!" KID said, with a deep bow.

"Watch yourself," the man snapped, in the tone of voice of someone accustomed to ordering other people around. He didn't spare them another glance as he headed across the room to see what all the fuss was about. KID kept his head down even after the man was gone, face red with apparent embarrassment, so Shinichi used their linked hands to pull him into motion again. 

"Come on," he said softly, and earned an indulgent smile from an elderly man who held the door open as he ushered KID out.

KID latched onto Shinichi's arm and ducked his head so that his wig fell forward to hide his face. "This way," he murmured, using his grip to guide Shinichi down the hallway without dropping his flustered act. 

Shinichi let KID guide their steps, mentally keeping track of the distinctly circuitous route they were taking. Somewhere along the way, KID's overwhelmed slouch transitioned into an easy saunter, so smoothly that even Shinichi couldn't pinpoint the moment the switch had occurred.

"Isn't it tiring being that docile?" Shinichi asked.

"You know," KID said, almost conversationally. "I really thought you'd like Himiko-chan more." 

Shinichi raised an eyebrow at him. "Where did you get the impression that I like spending time with overly agreeable people?"

"That's-" KID paused. "A very good point actually, now that I think of it. That says some questionable things about you, Meitantei."

"As one of the least agreeable people I've ever met, I think it says a lot about you too, KID."

KID smirked. "You say the sweetest things, darling." He glanced at the number on the closest door and nodded. "Nomura's room should be just down- oops." 

Shinichi caught the barest glimpse of a young woman lingering in the hallway ahead of them before KID pulled him back around the corner they'd just rounded. Without missing a beat, KID put his own back to the wall and tugged Shinichi round to stand in front of him, the intimate position giving off the appearance of an affectionate couple while still affording Shinichi a decent angle to spy round the corner.

Of their own volition, Shinichi's hands came to rest on KID's hips.

"She's standing outside the room Nomura's in," KID murmured. He seemed completely at ease with the way Shinichi's body was boxing him in, which made Shinichi wonder which of them was being more reckless right now. It was getting hard to tell.

"She'll be here for an interview." Shinichi eyed the girl, considering their options. They definitely couldn't force their way in while she was standing there, and there was no guarantee that some other young hopefuls wouldn't show up after her even if they tried to wait her out.

One of KID's hands came up to play with the ends of Shinichi's hair, casually affectionate. "You have a plan, I hope."

"Most of one," Shinichi said absently. He glanced down at KID. "You didn't happen to bring any sleeping gas with you, did you?"

KID's face lit up with an unholy amount of glee. "Oh, Meitantei, you do spoil me sometimes. I knew you were my favourite detective for a reason."

His hand left off fondling Shinichi's hair as he reached instead for his bag. Even from this close, Shinichi couldn't get a good look at what KID had stored in there - damn sneaky thief - but he could tell that it definitely wasn't full of stolen goods. And it wasn't like KID had many other options for hiding places in that dress.

"What did you do with all that jewelry?" Shinichi hissed. 

"Planted it on the CEO of Goro Industries," KID replied distractedly, still rooting through his bag. "Someone's probably noticed by now; I left a string of pearls dangling out of his pocket to make it easier for everyone."

Shinichi stared at him. "You framed him?" He felt a twinge of something suspiciously like disappointment at the thought. 

KID made a dismissive noise. "It's fine. He's embezzling from the art charity he runs, but they've never had enough concrete evidence for a warrant. This will give the police enough leverage to get him arrested. It's my little present to Nakamori-keibu. Aha!" KID snapped his bag shut and moved to flourish something at Shinichi, his motion stuttering as he caught sight of his expression. "What?"

It was hard to know quite where to start. "Why do you know that?" 

KID arched an eyebrow. "Why don't you?"

Shinichi didn't have an answer for that. Had KID memorized the guest list, or was it just a lucky coincidence? 

"I know you're a fan of charging into things headfirst," KID said then, changing the topic with a staggeringly blatant disregard for subtlety. "But the door probably isn't the best access point, even with sleeping gas."

"Do you have another idea?" Shinichi asked, and got a wolfish grin in response.

"Of course I do. Come on."

Shinichi stepped back and let KID steer them back in the direction they'd come. He led them to a small alcove with a sitting area - just an ornamental coffee table and a scattering of plush chairs - and tilted his chin significantly towards the far wall. "Lucky for you, I have a thing for memorizing floor plans before a heist."

There was an air vent grate set into the wall and, really, Shinichi should have known this was what KID had in mind. "There's a camera," he pointed out, trying not to be too conspicuous as he looked at the dome security camera in the centre of the alcove.

"Child's play." KID eyed the camera critically for all of ten seconds, before striding forward to come to a stop at a point almost directly below it. He glanced back at Shinichi with a cheeky grin. "I could use a boost, if you'd be so kind."

Shinichi wasn't entirely sure how he went from knitting his hands together to give KID a foothold to having KID literally kneeling on his shoulders, his skirt riding even higher and his bare thighs filling Shinichi's peripheral vision, but he was starting to get the impression that bizarre things just sort of happened when KID was involved.

KID's weight was rock steady above him, as though he wasn't having to account for Shinichi's sense of balance as well as his own. Shinichi wasn't about to look up to see what KID was doing - it wasn't worth the inevitable teasing given that the hem of KID's skirt was currently brushing against the back of his head - but he could feel the shift in strong muscles as KID stretched up to extend an arm towards the camera. There was the quiet hiss of an aerosol, then KID's hands dropped to Shinichi's hair, ruffling it like he would do to Conan.

"Oi!" Shinichi protested, unable to duck away without tipping them both over.

"All done," KID said, with laughter in his voice. The pressure of his hands increased, giving Shinichi a split-second to brace himself before KID jumped down. He landed with the barest hint of a tap.

"What did you do?" Shinichi asked, squinting up at the camera while KID was putting his outfit back to rights. "What is that?"

"Hairspray." KID waggled the can at him. "A localized burst blurs the glass enough to distort the image in that one area without making anyone think that there's anything wrong with the camera itself. It'll be ages before they notice it."

That was... clever. "If you tell me all of your secrets, I'll catch you for sure next time, thief," Shinichi warned, more fondly than he'd intended to.

KID smirked. "Who says you're getting all of my secrets? Let's get that grate off," he said then, switching topics almost smoothly enough for Shinichi not to take note of the deliberate segue.

Between the two of them and a palm-sized screwdriver from KID's bag, it was the work of moments to remove the screws fastening the bottom of the vent cover to the wall. 

"This is a lot easier with an assistant," KID observed. He flashed Shinichi a grin. "What do you think, Meitantei? Feel like changing careers and becoming my partner in crime?"

Shinichi shot him a sour look. "I'm not a thief."

KID breathed out a theatrical sigh. "Oh, right. _You_ only break the law for the greater good. How could I forget?"

There was something about the way he said it, something on the very edge of brittle, that made Shinichi frown, but KID didn't give him the opportunity to figure out what it was.

"The vent runs parallel to the hallway; Nomura's in the fourth room down." KID snapped his fingers and a smoke bomb and what looked like a miniature breathing apparatus were suddenly cradled in the palm of his hand. He held them out to Shinichi. "You need to give the smoke two minutes to clear before you take off the rebreather, or you're going to knock yourself out as well."

Wait. "You're not coming?"

"In this dress?" KID asked, with a toss of his hair. "Not a chance. Both of us crawling through the vents doesn't make sense anyway. I'll stay here and run interference."

Shinichi couldn't argue with that. "Fine." He accepted the offered supplies and tucked them into his pocket. "Oh," he remembered, unbuttoned one of his cufflinks and pressing it into KID's hand. "Here. I'll be able to hear everything you say, so let me know if anything goes wrong."

"I mean, I'd rather have the second button off your school uniform," KID said, with a smirk. "But I guess this'll do."

"Idiot," Shinichi grumbled. "Let's get this over with."

"Oh, before you go!" KID rummaged again in his bag, and produced a pair of white gloves. "Don't want to leave any fingerprints," he said, with a guileless smile that did not at all suit the fact that he was offering Shinichi a pair of _Kaitou KID gloves_ to wear.

"Are you actually insane?" Shinichi asked him.

KID's smile widened. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Do you need a boost?"

Regretfully, Shinichi accepted both the gloves and the boost. "I think I like you better when you're not being helpful," he groused, as KID pulled the grate back down behind him.

"That can definitely be arranged, although I suspect you'd regret it in the long run. Good luck, Meitantei," KID said then, softly, and Shinichi nodded wordlessly before starting to worm his way, arm over arm, down the vent towards Nomura's room.

\---

Crawling through air vents, Shinichi quickly discovered, was a lot easier when he was Conan-sized. 

His brow was damp with sweat, his clothes were disheveled and his shoulders were screaming in protest by the time he finally hauled his way up to the grate that looked into Nomura's room. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, wondering how KID could make a habit of this sort of thing. 

The sound of voices drifted up to him, and he peered cautiously through the slats, blinking a little against the sudden brightness. The girl from the hallway was in a chair facing the air vent, talking to a balding man who Shinichi could only see in profile but was definitely Nomura. 

On the table between them was a laptop. Shinichi's pulse quickened.

Moving slowly and carefully, he pulled out the breathing apparatus and put it to his lips. The stale taste of canned air immediately filled his lungs, but Shinichi ignored it. It took him a moment of fiddling to figure out how to trigger the smoke bomb, and then he had to shut his eyes against the sudden burst of lavender smoke that filled the air vent.

"What the-?" he heard Nomura say, as the smoke flowed through the grate and into the room below. The sound of coughing followed hard on the heels of his exclamation, and Shinichi's hands clenched as he counted the seconds. _Come on, come on..._

There was a dull thump. Then another. Then silence. Shinichi breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Recalling KID's warning, he kept the air tank in place while he struggled to loosen the screws holding the grate closed. They were, unsurprisingly, not meant to be removed from the inside, and it was only by the grace of KID's gloves that Shinichi still had any skin left on his knuckles by the time the last one finally skidded free. He wondered uncharitably if KID had opted not to come along because this part of his job was a total pain in the ass.

The thought of KID laughing at his pain was irritating, but did remind him to pause for a moment to swap Subaru's glasses for Conan's, which had the transceiver in them for the cufflinks. 

When he activated the transceiver, Shinichi was treated to the low sound of KID humming, which was not exactly what he'd been expecting. It worked to let him know that there was nothing to worry about in the hallway, though, and KID had a pleasant enough voice, so he just rolled his eyes and focused instead on climbing out of the air vent without falling on his face. 

Nomura and the girl were both slumped over in their chairs, out cold. Nomura had clearly been in the process of standing up when he passed out; he was only inches away from sliding right onto the floor. Shinichi ignored them both and beelined for the laptop, tucking away the breathing tank as he went.

The data on the screen meant little to Shinichi, but that didn't really matter. Haibara would know what to do with it. Digging his keyring out of his pocket, he slotted the flash drive that he carried there into the laptop and set about copying anything that looked even remotely relevant. Once he had the data transfer going, he took a moment to stick a transmitter to the bottom of Nomura's shoe and another to the inside lining of his laptop bag. With hope, at least one of them would go unnoticed long enough for Shinichi to trace Nomura's steps after he left the fundraiser. 

The transfer was going to take a few minutes, so Shinichi used the time while he was waiting to hoist the grate carefully back into place and replace the top screws. He made sure to leave them loose enough that he'd be able to lift the grate and slide underneath. Once he was back in the vent, he could fasten the last few screws from the inside.

The download was at 87% when KID's humming cut off abruptly, and Shinichi stilled, listening.

"Oh!" KID exclaimed a moment later. Then, in English, "You're Chris Vineyard!"

"I am indeed," Vermouth's familiar voice said, and Shinichi swore. He should have known this was going too smoothly.

He glanced again at the download: 89%.

"Thank you very much for the autograph," KID was saying, sounding extremely flustered. "Not that you gave it to me, exactly, but to Shi- I mean, to my boyfriend..."

"Himiko, is it?" Vermouth said, with a kindness that reminded Shinichi of her time playing Araide-sensei. "May I sit?"

KID swallowed audibly. "Y-yes, please do."

93%. Shinichi started hurriedly closing all the tabs he'd opened, until the only evidence that he'd touched the laptop was the still-creeping progress bar. Nomura and the girl didn't stir.

"What are you doing out here all alone? Did your boyfriend upset you again?"

"O-oh no! I was-" KID gave a self-deprecating little laugh. 95%. "It's all a little overwhelming, is all. I'm not really used to-" a pause, probably KID gesturing back towards the reception hall. 98%. "-this kind of event. I... just needed some air." 

100%. 

The moment the progress bar disappeared, Shinichi grabbed the flash drive and dashed to the wall, jamming the drive in his pocket as he went. He tried not to knock anything over as he awkwardly used the edge of the desk to hoist himself back into the air vent. 

He paused only long enough to make sure that the grate didn't bang against the wall before heading back the way he'd come, leaving the screws as they were; there was no way he was going to try and reattach them now. He'd just have to hope that the grate would stay in place without them.

The back-and-forth of KID and Vermouth's conversation accompanied him as he laboriously dragged himself down the vent, his heart thudding painfully against his ribs. KID seemed to be holding his own, but Shinichi knew better than to underestimate Vermouth. It would only take one moment of inattention on KID's part and they'd both be done for.

"Where _is_ your boyfriend?" Vermouth chose that moment to ask. Shinichi's pulse spiked and he froze, barely daring to breathe. The grate leading into the sitting area loomed ahead of him, so close but completely out of the question while Vermouth was still on the other side. "He hasn't abandoned you, has he?"

"Oh, not at all!" KID denied. "Shinji-san went to get me a drink. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

He sounded so painfully naïve and trusting that Shinichi wanted to bang his head against the floor. If Vermouth really did believe their story, then there was no way she was going to let Himiko sit there all by hers- 

"I'll wait with you, then," Vermouth said brightly.

There it was. Shinichi would have dropped his head into his hands if he'd had the room to do so.

KID immediately tried to demur, but Vermouth refused to retract her offer. Shinichi, a scant ten feet away and feeling increasingly like an overheated sardine, wondered how long he could reasonably sit in the vents before their hand got forced. How long did KID's knockout gas usually last?

"I'm humbled by your offer," KID surrendered, after a few more failed attempts to refuse politely. "But, ah, before Shinji-san comes back, I need to go to the... I mean, I need to freshen up a little bit. Did you... would you mind if we went...?"

Vermouth chuckled. "Certainly."

There was a shuffling of fabric that was presumably the two of them standing up, and Shinichi frowned as the sound of their conversation started to get fainter. Why would it-?

The answer came to him almost immediately.

 _Dammit, KID,_ he swore to himself. _Leaving the transmitter behind while you wander off with Vermouth is the opposite of a good idea!_

Oh, he saw the logic in it: this way, Shinichi would know when they were gone, so he could safely exit the vents. But KID had no idea how ruthless Vermouth was, how much danger he'd just flung himself into without any backup. If Vermouth realized who he was...

Nausea ripped through Shinichi at the thought, strong enough that he had to shove it away or risk losing his cool entirely. This was KID, he reminded himself. He'd fooled the Black Org before; he could do it again. 

Firming his jaw, Shinichi dragged himself the rest of the way to the grate, sparing the briefest moment to check that the alcove really was empty before shoving his way out. The grate thudded heavily back against the wall as his legs slithered free. 

Shinichi froze, hardly daring to breathe.

A heartbeat passed. Then two, and Shinichi forced himself to move. He didn't have time for hesitation. A certain foolhardy phantom thief was counting on him. 

The glint of metal caught his attention as he shoved himself to his feet: the cufflink speaker, lying abandoned on the floor beside one of the chairs. Shinichi snatched it up and added it to the growing collection of detritus in his pocket.

What should his next move be? KID and Vermouth had presumably gone to the washroom, which was back towards the reception hall. Shinichi's first instinct was to follow after them, but...

KID had said that Shinji was getting Himiko a drink. Shinichi turned on his heel and headed in the opposite direction, towards the elevators. He'd seen a vending machine there earlier. 

There was a different student waiting outside Nomura's room who gave Shinichi a strange look as he charged past. Shinichi belatedly remembered that he was still wearing Conan's glasses and KID's gloves, and his clothes were undoubtedly a mess thanks to his trip through the vents. He must look like a madman.

He tugged off the gloves and shoved them into a pocket, brushing at the dust and grime on his shirt as he did so. It didn't accomplish much and Shinichi grimaced. Hurriedly, he unclipped his other cufflink and rolled up his shirt sleeves to cover the worst of the damage. He'd have to hope that the dark colour of the fabric would camouflage the rest.

The elevator lobby was empty when he got there, and Shinichi switched his glasses back with one hand while he fed some yen into the vending machine with the other. His fingers trembled with what he refused to acknowledge as anything but adrenaline as he fumbled with the coins.

Bottle of water acquired, he took a steadying breath before retracing his steps at a carefully measured pace. As Conan, he was forever racing either towards or away from danger; he wasn't used to forcing himself to slow down. Trust KID to be the one who required it from him. 

_If we get out of this, I'm going to strangle him,_ Shinichi vowed, as he walked past the student in the hallway again. Hopefully, the guy wouldn't spare a second thought for the weirdo he saw while waiting for his interview. 

As he neared the alcove, Shinichi arranged his expression into something mildly apologetic, hoping that Vermouth would take it at face value. He turned the corner, already talking. "Himiko-chan, sorry for-"

The alcove was empty. 

Shinichi stopped in his tracks.

Why weren't they back? Shinichi's mind immediately offered up the worst possible scenario, and he fought the very real urge to panic. KID was supposed to be the one he could _rely_ on, the one Shinichi didn't need to worry about because he could take care of himself. His rival, his equal, his -

"Shinji-san?" KID's Himiko voice said, from directly behind him.

Shinichi whirled, saw KID staring at him with a look of mild surprise, and felt his heart flip painfully in his chest. 

KID was... _KID_ was...

How had Shinichi not noticed this before?

Vermouth was stood beside KID, but Shinichi barely noticed, his brain too busy stripping gears trying to reconcile the fact that KID was fine with the frantic hammering of his pulse and the entirely unfair epiphany that he did _not_ have time for right now. 

KID was coming towards him, a question in his eyes. "Shinji-san? Is something wrong?"

_Everything okay, Meitantei?_

"Himiko!" The name was the right one, but the tone was far too honest: urgent and only a razor's edge away from frantic. KID's eyes widened in shock, and Shinichi swallowed down his worry. "Where did you go?" he finished lamely. "I was... I was worried."

KID's worry melted into fondness. "Shinji-san," he said, with so much affection that Shinichi found himself flushing. "I'm fine. I was talking with Miss Vineyard."

"Hello again," Vermouth offered. Her eyes make a slow circuit of his body, and Shinichi was abruptly brutally aware of his rucked-up shirt, his uneven breathing, the bottle of water still cool enough to be sweating condensation in his hand. What would she make of it all?

Though it grated against every moral fibre of his being, Shinichi desperately hoped that she was ascribing his lengthy absence and dishevelled appearance to the fact that he was cheating on his fictional girlfriend, rather than because he was stealing information from the Black Org.

Somehow, he summoned up a polite nod. "Thank you for staying with her, Miss Vineyard. Text me next time," he said to KID then, trying for calm and overshooting straight into stern. 

KID's mouth wobbled between contrition and a pleased little smile. "I'm sorry."

Kid's lipstick had been reapplied, Shinichi noticed, and by a much steadier hand than had done it previously. KID wasn't about to make that kind of continuity mistake, which could only mean... 

Shinichi's eyes cut towards Vermouth, still watching him like a snake watches a bird, and wondered with not a little despair if he'd ever find a limit to KID's sheer audacity.

What kind of madman let a disguise expert touch up his makeup for him while he was undercover? 

"Oh, is that for me?" KID prompted, pointing at the bottle of water.

Shinichi practically shoved it at him. "Are you feeling better?" he remembered to ask as KID opened the bottle and took a dainty sip.

"Yes, Shinji-san. Thanks for being so patient with me." KID blinked up at him. "Shall we return to the fundraiser?"

"We have been gone awhile," Shinichi agreed, with all the nonchalance he could muster. He glanced over at Vermouth. "Will you join us, Miss Vineyard?"

"No thank you," Vermouth said, after a brief pause. "I don't want to intrude."

Shinichi knew that it would be dangerous if Vermouth went to Nomura's room right now and found him knocked out, but he couldn't see any way of preventing without it being suspicious, so he didn't press the issue. They'd have to hope that, even if she did suspect, she wouldn't pursue it tonight.

KID gave Vermouth a heartfelt goodbye and thanked her again for the autograph. Shinichi managed a brisk nod and tried not to give away the fact that every inch of his skin was crawling with the desire to get away. It was a staggering relief to link arms with KID again and walk at a deliberately measured pace back to the reception hall.

"Breathe, Meitantei," KID said in an undertone, once they were out of immediate earshot.

"Was she looking for us?" Shinichi asked urgently.

KID's wig brushed Shinichi's cheek as he shook his head. "I called out to her when she passed the sitting area. She was on her way to Nomura's room, I think."

Shinichi frowned. "You shouldn't have put yourself in danger like th- oof!"

"I can take care of myself," KID said, as he calmly withdrew his elbow from Shinichi's gut. "And considering that you're the one that wasn't worried about me nearly getting blown up the last time I had a run-in with your organization, I'm now wondering if your temporary teenaged status also comes with a temporary personality transplant. What's got you so worried, Meitantei?"

 _A sudden and horrifying realization that you matter to me more than I thought,_ Shinichi didn't say.

"You were dealing with Bourbon last time," was what actually came out of his mouth. "Vermouth's a lot more dangerous."

"Hmph. Well, as you can see, I handled your Vermouth just fine so you can stop it with your uncharacteristic chivalry now."

"And she didn't suspect anything?" 

"If she did, she's an even better actor than I am. Which is impossible, of course, since I'm the best," he added, with a smirk.

Shinichi rolled his eyes, relieved to feel his heartrate finally returning to normal. "Keep dreaming, KID. What did you talk about?"

"She told me that you weren't worth the effort," he said, sounding thoroughly delighted by that fact. "Apparently I should find a boyfriend who appreciates me more."

"She's an infiltration expert and ruthless murderer," Shinichi answered dryly. "I wouldn't take her word for anything."

KID hummed thoughtfully. "Are you suggesting that you _do_ appreciate me, then?"

"Would you be here if I didn't?" Shinichi couldn't quite manage to say it without his cheeks heating, so he kept his gaze fixed firmly ahead of him, pretending nonchalance.

"Careful, Meitantei," KID said teasingly. "Or you're going to make me fall for you."

The epiphany that Shinichi definitely wasn't having hovered on the edge of his awareness.

Shinichi was not thinking about it. "I'm more concerned about Vermouth," he said instead. "When she gets to Nomura's room and finds him knocked out she's-"

"He should already have woken up actually," KID interrupted, far too calmly. "My knockout gas only lasts for about 20 minutes. Lucky for you, one of the not-entirely intentional side effects of that gas is a very brief amount of memory loss."

Shinichi frowned. He'd never heard of such a thing from the KID Taskforce. "How 'very brief'?"

"Approximately 46 seconds," KID said, which didn't sound very approximate. He'd almost certainly tested it on himself, because KID was a lunatic like that. "So Nomura should have woken up without any memory of you gassing him, felt duly embarrassed about sleeping on the job and gone back to work. Nice and neat."

"That seems awfully convenient."

KID cocked his head. "Do you _want_ to be caught? Because we can turn around."

Shinichi shook his head automatically. "It's not that. I guess I'm just waiting for the catch."

"Ugh, detectives. Always looking on the dark side of things." 

The doors to the reception hall loomed ahead of them, and Shinichi braced himself for an hour or two of sitting around pretending to care about networking and cancer research while the flash drive burned a hole in his pocket. 

KID flashed him a decidedly impish grin. "Come on, let's have Shinji win Himiko something shiny in the auction to assuage his guilt about nearly getting caught cheating on her. It'll take your mind off things."

"You're impossible." It came out sounding distressingly fond. Shinichi was officially doomed.

He tried not to read too much into KID's pleased smile. It was probably fake, after all. "Just trying to keep you on your toes, my dear detective. So, do you think they've finished arresting that CEO yet?"

\---

They had not, as it turned out, finished arresting the CEO yet. Fortunately, a lot of very wealthy people spending a lot of money at a very important fundraiser was the sort of thing that even the police had trouble getting permission to interrupt, so the arrest itself was being dealt with elsewhere in the building so that people could donate to charity in peace. The room was abuzz with the scandal of it, which KID seemed to find hilarious.

"I've helped you thwart an evil organization, put a corporate criminal behind bars _and_ livened up this truly dull party," he said, sounding very smug. "All in one night! I deserve a medal or something."

"I don't think they usually hand those out to thieves," Shinichi responded. "Maybe you should change careers and be my partner in crime solving instead."

"Bite your tongue, Meitantei."

For his part, Shinichi was just glad not to run the risk of interacting with an officer he knew while dressed like this. KID might enjoy the thrill of just barely escaping detection, but Shinichi most definitely did not.

It was another long hour before the fundraiser wound down enough for Shinichi to judge it safe to leave. He spent most of that time thinking about the flash drive and the hopefully still-hidden transmitters, planning out their next steps and fighting the giddy excitement that kept bubbling up inside him at the thought of finally getting an antidote to the apotoxin.

The rest of the time, he was thinking about KID. It was problematic.

When they eventually escaped, it was with a tastefully expensive diamond bracelet glittering on KID's wrist, compliments of the silent auction. KID kept running his fingers over it in silent awe as they wordlessly took the elevator back to their hotel room, playing his role even now.

A piece of paper fluttered to the floor as Shinichi opened the door, paying mute evidence to the fact that no one had tampered with the room in their absence. KID made a sound of satisfaction. 

"Excellent. I didn't want to have to sweep for bugs again." Himiko melted away from him as the door swung shut behind them. 

"What do you mean again?" Shinichi asked, as KID sauntered across the floor with a swagger that Shinichi hadn't realized he'd been regretting the absence of all evening. "I was the one who swept the room."

"Semantics, Meitantei." KID waved a dismissive hand at him and flopped down on the bed with a grateful sigh, eyes fluttering closed. 

Shinichi looked at KID, flat on his back with his limbs spread and his eyes closed, and wondered again at his complete lack of self-preservation in a room with a detective in it. Was it recklessness or trust that prompted KID to keep making himself so vulnerable in Shinichi's vicinity?

"So," KID said, without opening his eyes. "Chris Vineyard is part of an evil conglomerate, huh? My mom is going to be so disappointed."

Shinichi laughed, a little ruefully. "My mom was too. When did you figure it out?"

"About 10 seconds after you didn't correct me, you secretive bastard. Even you can't see through disguises that quickly. Which meant that Vermouth is actually Chris Vineyard and the autograph I got could make me a tidy profit on the fan forums."

"I wasn't trying to be secretive," Shinichi said awkwardly. "I was just..."

"Trying to keep me _safe_?" KID didn't sound like he appreciated the sentiment. He pushed himself upright, opening his eyes to pin Shinichi with a narrow look. "For someone who went on so much about the importance of learning to rely on others, you don't really seem to trust me to pull my weight."

"That's not it," Shinichi protested, and was treated to the full force of KID's bland indifference as he rose elegantly to his feet and headed towards the washroom.

"If you say so, Meitantei. What's the plan now? I don't really fancy staying here all night, so I'm leaving unless you still need me."

"That's fine," Shinichi said after a beat, since any other answer to that question was far too complicated to attempt. "Are you going like that?"

"Worried that Shinji's going to get dumped?" KID teased, though something about his tone fell uncharacteristically flat. "I'll get changed first, don't worry. Oh," he said, pausing with one hand on the washroom door as he twisted to look at Shinichi. "You'll be wanting this back."

He extended his other arm. Diamonds glittered in the light.

"Keep it." It was a split decision, but Shinichi knew as soon as the words passed his lips that it was the right one. "It suits you."

The offer seemed to catch KID off guard. "I'm not actually a girl, Meitantei."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't suit you. Just-" Shinichi waved one hand aimlessly. "-consider it your payment for helping me out tonight. Sell it, if you don't want to keep it."

"You don't have someone else you'd rather give it to?"

Shinichi thought immediately, inevitably, of Ran. It wouldn't fit her style at all. 

"I don't," he said, and had the pleasure of knowing that KID clearly hadn't expected that answer. He tilted his head. "Weren't you going to get changed?"

"Someone's feeling sassy tonight," KID said, after a pause so brief that Shinichi wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't been paying such close attention. "Won't be a minute."

He vanished into the washroom, leaving Shinichi blinking at the closed door and wondering why he'd hadn't just poofed into a new disguise like he usually did.

Nerves jangling with the aftershocks of adrenaline, Shinichi absently removed his tie and turned off the voice-changing choker. Then he sat in KID's abandoned spot on the bed, letting the confusing whirl of his emotions wash over him. 

The epiphany loomed again.

Shinichi still wasn't feeling safe or stable enough to unpack the entire thing right now, but there was one part that was blaring too loudly for him to ignore any longer.

He _liked_ KID. The way he'd liked Ran. Well. Sort of. 

Comparing KID to Ran was like comparing apples to oranges, but he couldn't deny that the way KID's presence and his smile and his wickedly sharp wit made Shinichi's heart pound was intimately familiar.

Shinichi wasn't sure if it was a product of being back in his real body and all the teenage hormones that came with it, but he suspected that this was what Haibara had been mocking him for earlier, so it couldn't be _all_ because of that. 

He always had been... how had she put it? _Particular_ about KID, hadn't he? Shinichi wasn't sure when enmity had turned to admiration had turned to _this_ , but he tried not to lie to himself any more than he had to. The fact that he had... feelings for KID certainly helped explain why he trusted him even when he probably shouldn't. 

Or was it the other way around?

The washroom door swung deliberately open, interrupting Shinichi's musings.

"I honestly wasn't sure if you'd still be here," KID's voice said, and Shinichi glanced over, not entirely sure what to expect. KID's white suit and actual civilian identity were both out, for obvious reasons, but KID could have borrowed pretty much any other face to make his escape. 

The one he'd chosen both was and wasn't what Shinichi would have guessed. Gone was the fancy dress and the overly elaborate makeup. The wig was still in place, the strands now pulled up into a loose bun that edged the border between casual and stylish and left wisps of dark hair curling fetchingly around his face. KID's face looked freshly scrubbed but still distinctly feminine; Shinichi could see hints of subtle makeup on his eyelids and his lips were a soft, glossy pink. KID was wearing a snug long sleeved shirt that emphasized the curve of his hips and the swell of false breasts, and a pair of loose grey slacks cut in a style that Shinichi thought he'd heard Sonoko raving about in a magazine the other week. A familiar glitter of diamonds sparkled on his wrist.

This disguise was pretty in a different way to Himiko: classy instead of cute, sophisticated instead of sweet. This was the kind of girl that people would stare at as she walked down the street, but most wouldn't have the nerve to approach. 

The fact that this disguise - objectively attractive as it was - still wasn't nearly as compelling to Shinichi as the distinctly male, profoundly vexing jewel thief hiding beneath was something that made him shake his head ruefully at himself.

"I'm keeping all this," KID announced, lifting up the pair of shopping bags he was carrying. "It's not a good idea to leave it here, and I can always use more makeup."

"That's fine. I don't need it." The body language as KID stepped into the room wasn't quite Himiko's and it wasn't quite KID's. Shinichi wondered if this new disguise was a deliberate mix of the two or if it took KID some time to settle into a new persona after he'd been inhabiting another for an extended period of time. 

KID's mouth twisted as he noticed Shinichi's distraction. "They're all me."

Shinichi startled. "What?"

"You wanted to know how I play so many parts, didn't you?" KID buffed his nails on the front of his shirt in a studied display of nonchalance. "There's a part of me in every disguise I wear. How big a part changes, but they're all shades of who I am."

"That's-"

"Care to guess which one has the biggest part?" KID purred. His eyes, back to their usual blue, sparked with fire. "Here's a hint: it's not the one you'd expect."

"I was under the impression that you didn't want to answer that question," Shinichi ventured. 

KID shrugged. "Well, it hardly matters what I want when it's you, does it? I'm sure I'm an open book to the great Detective of the East."

Shinichi huffed. "Idiot. When did I ever say you were easy to understand?"

KID's hands shifted to his hips, challenge written in every line of his body. "You say that like I don't know you, Meitantei. You never give up until you find the answers you're looking for."

"I can't help being who I am!" Shinichi snapped, feeling his temper flare in response to KID's goading tone. "Stop assuming that you're only interesting to me because I haven't caught you yet!"

"Aren't I?" KID's eyes raged like a storm at sea. "What would you do if you caught me, Meitantei? If the chase was finally over? As I recall, you always have a new mystery to focus on; no detective wastes time dwelling on the ones he's already solved."

"Hey, you're the one who-" Shinichi paused, angry words pooling on his tongue as the oddness of the situation finally struck him. 

This kind of open aggression wasn't like KID. KID was all teasing laughter and mocking misdirection; he regularly set Nakamori to raging but never lost his own temper. So why...?

"You're afraid," Shinichi realized. KID's face went blank and the familiar flare of triumph filled Shinichi. "You've been afraid this whole time."

"Really? What gives you that idea?" KID's tone was bored, unaffected, but he couldn't fool Shinichi. Not now that he'd seen the truth. 

"You are." Shinichi's thoughts skimmed through the evening, teasing out the few tiny moments where KID had given away more than he'd intended. "You're afraid of me."

KID scoffed. "Arrogant much, Meitantei?"

"You're afraid that now that I've given you part of my secret, that I'm going to demand your secrets in return. Wait, no," Shinichi corrected himself almost immediately. "That's not it. You've been handing me secrets all night. You're afraid of what I'll do with them. Or what I won't do." It was his turn to fix KID with a pointed stare. "Isn't that right, Kaitou KID?"

KID looked like a marble statue: graceful and still and waiting. 

Slowly, Shinichi climbed to his feet and took a step towards him. KID's shoulders tensed, but he held his ground, not giving an inch as Shinichi came closer.

Shinichi stopped when they were an arm's length apart. The air felt hushed and heavy.

Gentleness wasn't something that either of them typically practiced with the other. Shinichi still couldn't help the softness in his voice as he looked into KID's unfamiliar-familiar face and asked, "Are you really so afraid that I won't understand why you do what you do?"

KID's expression cracked.

"Not exactly," he admitted, with a shakiness in his voice that Shinichi had never heard from him before. 

"Then what?" Shinichi pressed.

KID shrugged. "Maybe I'm worried that you _will_ understand and it will make you see me differently. I'm not used to having an equal, Meitantei. I find myself..." A pause, a flicker of a bitter smile, "...reluctant to lose that if you decide I'm no longer up to the task."

"What?" Shinichi couldn't help an incredulous laugh. "KID, there's no one who challenges me like you do. I don't see that changing no matter what I learn about you."

"You say that now," KID muttered, with a little pout that was so quintessentially him that Shinichi found himself reacting instinctively.

He snagged KID's wrist and tugged sharply; KID stumbled into his chest with an awkward half-shuffle that had to be at least partially voluntary, considering this was KID they were talking about.

KID's eyes were impossibly blue from this close. "Meitantei, wha-"

KID tasted like strawberry lip gloss this time, which was a definite improvement over the lipstick. Shinichi wondered what it would be like to kiss KID without any makeup in the way.

It wasn't much of a kiss, to be perfectly honest, just the slightest brush of mouths, but it was enough to make KID freeze, holding him in the moment the way that ropes and cages and handcuffs never could. 

Shinichi pulled back, belated nerves bringing heat to his cheeks, and had the startling experience of seeing what looked like genuine surprise on KID's face - no artifice or masks to hide behind. His eyes were wild as they blinked at Shinichi.

"You're more than just a mystery," Shinichi blurted, artless and sincere. "You're my _rival_ , KID, and that's not going to change even if I _could_ figure you out. I never seem to be able to predict you properly and that's..." _fascinating, infuriating, perfect_ , none of them were sentiments that Shinichi was willing to commit to aloud, so he let the sentence trail off, hoping it was enough.

Judging by the small but genuine smile curling KID's lips, he thought it might be.

"Why, Meitantei," KID said. "Are you flirting with me?" That moment of real emotion was gone now, hidden behind the usual teasing arrogance, but Shinichi knew he'd seen it. 

"You're the flirt, KID, not me," he said. He hesitated only briefly. "It's not just flirting. Not for me. You... you _matter_ to me, KID. A lot. If you're interested."

KID was silent for a long moment. "What about Mouri-san?"

Shinichi had known that question was coming, but he still had to close his eyes against the maelstrom of hopes and fears and regrets that it stirred to life inside of him. 

How could he even begin to explain the tangled mess that becoming Conan had made of his relationship with Ran? How he still loved her, desperately and wholeheartedly, but that love wasn't, couldn't be the same after so long learning to see her as his nee-chan? How she still didn't know the truth about Conan, and Shinichi wasn't sure he'd ever be brave enough to tell her? How that secret meant that they'd never be truly close again, not the way they once were, and his stupid heart couldn't decide if that knowledge was devastating or an almost-relief?

How could he confess that KID was the one who made his heart pound now, and had been for Shinichi didn't even know how long? How loving Ran didn't mean there wasn't still room in his heart for someone new, something different?

Something better?

KID was watching him when he opened his eyes, standing close enough that Shinichi could see the faint shadow of freckles lurking beneath his foundation. KID's wrist was still caught in his loose grip; it was thin enough that Shinichi's fingers could wrap nearly all the way around it, but he could feel the strength in the corded muscle underneath, belying its delicate appearance.

Shinichi took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. "I love Ran," he said. "I'll probably always love Ran. If I hadn't become Conan, I would have married her, one day." He laughed, a self-deprecating sort of sound. "But I did and now... it's different now," he finished awkwardly. " _I'm_ different now. Being Conan has changed too much. I'm not the same Shinichi who fell in love with her, and it's not fair to her or me to pretend that I am."

Shinichi belatedly realized that he was going on about his love for Ran to a boy he had just indirectly confessed to, and felt himself turn red.

"O-of course," he added hurriedly. "I understand if you're not interested because of all that, so-"

To his utter shock, KID laughed.

"Sorry, sorry," KID said immediately. His smile was infectious. "I didn't mean it like that. It just amazes me sometimes, how alike we are."

It was a throw-away statement, easily overlooked, but Shinichi was starting to learn that KID was at his most ruthlessly casual when he was saying something important.

"Pretty ironic for a thief and a detective, isn't it?" he said, with a rueful smile of his own. "Maybe that's why we fit so well together."

KID wet his lips, a shockingly telling gesture for the usually inscrutable thief. "You sure about this, Meitantei? Because if you let me steal you, I'm not giving you back."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow. "You give back the things you steal all the time."

KID's eyes were serious. "Only the things I don't need." 

The words hung heavily between them, an acknowledgment and an offer.

"I'm not jumping head first into anything," Shinichi said, well aware that jumping in head first was usually his main M.O. "I can't. This-" a gesture to his teenage body "-is only a temporary fix. And even if it wasn't, I still have work to do as Conan. And you-"

"-haven't found what I'm looking for," KID finished. "Kaitou KID won't be hanging his cape up anytime soon."

Shinichi nodded. He'd expected as much. "So where does that leave us?"

In answer, KID twisted his wrist so that his fingers slotted between Shinichi's. He gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don’t worry, Meitantei, I'm much better at being patient than you are. We'll figure it out. However long it takes."

"Good," Shinichi managed around the sudden lump in his throat. "You'd better not let anyone else catch you in the meantime, thief." 

KID arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Isn't that a bit presumptuous, implying that _you_ can catch the great Kaitou KID?"

In answer, Shinichi let his eyes drop down to the hand twined with his. The diamond bracelet still glittered brightly against the dark material of KID's sleeve, reminding Shinichi strangely of the silver gleam of a handcuff. Like a mark of ownership. 

"Not really," Shinichi said, with his brattiest smile. "I'm pretty sure he's already let me do that."

"Asshole," KID huffed, but he didn't deny it, which made Shinichi smile wider.

Tomorrow held so much uncertainty. He'd be Conan again and KID would go back to being his rival in the dark. Haibara might or might not be able to manufacture a cure from the data on Shinichi's memory stick, and there was still the looming goliath of the Black Org to contend with. He had no idea if Vermouth had truly believed their charade, and only time would reveal the fallout from their actions this evening. He still didn't know KID's real name, or his face.

But right now, with a pouting phantom thief to placate with laughter and kisses, Shinichi found himself feeling unusually optimistic about the future. KID had been right, after all: they always had worked better together.

~fin

**Author's Note:**

> Acknowledgements:  
> Thanks to the folks on the Discord for helping me with the complex world of Japanese honourifics. Many thanks also to katsukifatale for running this challenge and keeping us all organized. This is my first time participating in this challenge, but I don't intend for it to be my last - thanks for making it fun!
> 
> And a final thanks to everyone who read this story. I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> **Please do not post my work on Goodreads or other third party sites.**

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Bullet For Christmas](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28316976) by [writingforFUNandbecauseBoredom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingforFUNandbecauseBoredom/pseuds/writingforFUNandbecauseBoredom)




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